


I Hate Myself but I Love You

by wolf3223



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Vampire Laura Hollis
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-05
Updated: 2016-03-29
Packaged: 2018-04-25 01:45:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 61
Words: 33,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4941880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolf3223/pseuds/wolf3223
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>My version of what happens after season 2. It's going to start with LaF finding the Dean's video. </p><p>Laura gets herself into yet another dangerous situation, but this time the consequences were fatal. Laura's turned and Perry's possessed by the Dean. </p><p>How will they get the Dean without killing their friend?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Carmilla multi-chapter fic so hopefully it won't be too bad. Also, not 100% liking the name, so it may change eventually. My tumblr is wolf3223 if you want to talk about the story (or anything, really). The rating is for future chapters

Carmilla’s POV (Point Of View)

“Hey, guys, someone’s posted a video on the Silas Ethernet.” The ginger scientist says from where they’re sitting on a make-shift chair staring at their laptop. Somehow they managed to grab it during the chaos. As well as an entire laboratory’s worth of equipment that they made me carry because I’m the super strong vampire. They squint, “And it looks like it’s from the Dean’s house.”

I hope my mother really is dead but I know that’s unrealistic. She’s older than any creature I’ve met and to think my cupcake just pushed a boulder and killed her… I’m immensely proud of Laura for doing it, but now that I think about it, she’s most likely stuck in that cavern like the Anglerfish. And after so many years by her side, I know she always has a trick up her sleeve.

My muscles tense at the thought of seeing that wretched woman again, even if it is on a screen. Laura picks up on my mood and places a hand on my arm. She smiles at me and I relax instantly at the sight. It baffles me, the effect this tiny human has on me. Without a word she calms me faster than anything and anyone else I have ever encountered.

They hit a button and the video starts. As it progresses, I am in silent shock and Ginger One is paler than I am. My hand has made its way to their shoulder. Not long in, they slam a button and the video disappears. They must’ve seen enough. 

I think I saw some poor soul heading into the room in the last frame I saw. I hope she doesn’t kill them too messily.

How did I not notice that Ginger Two was acting so strange? Now that I think back, it was almost laughably obvious she wasn’t completely herself. I rub my face with my free hand, feeling LaFontaine shaking beneath my other hand.

“Perry’s possessed by the Dean?” Laura blurts out. Ginger One looks up at her and I have never seen them look so utterly broken. Not even when they thought Perry was dead. This is worse. She instantly backtracks, stuttering out apologies.

“Cupcake,” I murmur. 

She flushes scarlet but thankfully is quiet. The ginger nerd just found out that their best friend is possessed by an insane homicidal vampire. Though her babble is adorable, they need to process this before anything else.

LaFontaine clenches their hands into fists. “I’m going to kill her.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapters in the future will probably be longer


	2. Chapter 2

LaFontaine tries to get up, but I keep enough pressure on their shoulder that they can’t. 

“She’ll kill you. Last time we tried, she took over someone else’s body.” I talk in a composed tone, even while I am anything but. 

They need someone to be their voice of reason, and I guarantee Laura’s beating herself up about this. She manages to twist things that we had no way to control into being her fault. The pressure she puts on herself to be perfect is going to break her if she doesn’t stop blaming herself for everything.

“I don’t care,” they continue their doomed struggle even though they know I’m a vampire with super strength. It’s admirable, their reckless bravery, but this time it’ll definitely get them killed. 

“And I don’t care that you don’t care. I’m not going to let you go up there.”

LaFontaine glares at me and I glare back.

“Please don’t go, LaF.” Laura says quietly. “I don’t want to lose anyone else.”

Their eyes soften and I let go of them, hoping I didn’t give them a bruise.

“Sorry, L. It’s just…” they run a hand through their hair. “It’s Perry, you know? She should be giving us advice or telling herself the weird is natural. She shouldn’t be possessed by a sociopathic evil vampire.” They turn to me, grimacing slightly. “No offense.”

“None taken. I don’t like the idea of anyone possessed by Maman, especially Ginger Two. On the bright side, if she kills us all, the last thing you’ll see is her.” 

Laura nudges me but LaFontaine smiles at my words. I may not be good, but I’m good at reading people. Sometimes. And the ginger nerd is entirely too predictable with their twisted sense of humor that is scarily similar to my own.

Laura reaches out and grabs the ginger scientist’s hand, squeezing before getting up.

“I’m going to grab you some chocolate from the vending machine. Both of you stay here.” I look up at her. What did I do? “That means no slinking off and brooding.”

I pretend to act offended and Laura grins, giving us a small wave before she heads down the tunnels. LaFontaine turns to me and begins their favorite pass time, talking about science. Now they’re talking about how chocolate causes our bodies to release endorphins. Normally, I’d be able to follow along, but I’m listening to Laura’s fading footsteps.

My heart catches in my throat and I yell out Laura’s name, hoping it’ll make her freeze. I stand so fast the chair falls over but I barely notice. 

“Carmilla, what…” LaFontaine trails off when they see my face. 

I rush towards Laura, disregarding everything that isn’t her. The tunnels we’re in are sentient and move, but they still were property of the Dean at some point. And they lead to the basement of the library, where she doesn’t like anyone going. These tunnels have hidden traps that react to human DNA. That’s why I would always go with her and the ginger nerd. One wrong move and she’s dead.

The world slows down and Laura’s only a few yards away. Her foot presses down on a hidden tile, and I can only watch in horror as it glows bright red, sensing that she’s human.  
She has a small, thin piece of metal sticking out of her shoulder. Not even with my speed could I get her out of the way fast enough. I wrap a hand around her arm and drag her away from the trap, ignoring the delicious scent of her blood.


	3. Chapter 3

“I’m fine, Carm.” Laura tries to assure me.

She stumbles and I know she isn’t. Even though we aren’t far from where I’m leading her, I scoop her up in my arms, ignoring her protests, and set her on a dusty recliner that’s older than she is.

LaFontaine is beside me in an instant-Laura really didn’t get far-and crouches down. 

“Do you mind if I take a closer look?” they ask gently.

“’S no problem, LaFonbrain.” She snickers and closes her eyes.

They pull a pocket knife out of nowhere and slide her jacket off of her injured shoulder, careful not to touch the metal or cause Laura pain. They use the knife to cut her shirt from the neckline to the hole made by the metal projectile.

“Laura, I want you to keep your eyes open.” She peers up at me, squinting and looking exhausted. I breathe a sigh of relief. “Just focus on staying awake. Can you do that for me sweetheart?”

“Sure, cupcake.” She giggles.

There must have been something on that metal. Either that or she’s delirious after the blood loss and trauma of what’s happened this year.

LaFontaine “hmms” from where they’re studying Laura’s wound.

“Is that a good hmm or a bad hmm?” I run a hand through my hair, frowning as the metallic scent hits me again.

“It’s not deep and she’s incredibly lucky because it managed to miss every major thing. Toxin tests with my portable lab would be incredibly slow, so you do whatever to figure out what kind of freaky poison we’re dealing with.”

“The quickest way to do that is by smell.” I say slowly.

The ginger nerd nod, understanding flashing across their annoying face. I’m not that easy to read. I’m a creature of the night, a terrifying beast, humans should fear me and I don’t have time for this internal monologue.

“And you don’t trust your self-control?” I nod. “Get over yourself.”

“Excuse me?” I stare at them in confusion. Are they possessed too?

“Get over yourself. This is the girl you love, impaled by an unknown substance possibly covered in poison and you’re concerned about whether or not you’ll lose control and lick her blood?”

“That’s not how-”

“Just do it. Scaredy cat.” They mutter that last part and if we were in any other situation I would threaten them with vocabulary so colorful they’d be shitting rainbows in their pants. But Laura’s hurt and they’re kind of right.

LaFontaine moves away from Laura, who’s laughing quietly to herself and whispering “Carm’s a cat.” Maybe there are drugs on it instead of poison. 

I lean in and sniff at the metal still imbedded in her. Oh that is not good.


	4. Chapter 4

Laura’s wound reeks of one of the few toxins I can immediately recognize, and not for a good reason. It was Maman’s favorite because of its effects. At the first stage, the victim might not even know they are poisoned, or even injured because it blocks pain. At the second stage, the victim is in extreme agony and will want to die, if only to relieve the pain. At the third and final stage, the body will shut down slowly, leaving the person suffering until their inevitable death. 

There is no cure for this, not that I can access. The poison even works on the undead, though they do not die and are tortured with the pain until it leaves their system. Maman made an antidote to make herself immune. Not even me, her “glittering diamond”, was offered or given it. Though I suppose that isn’t a surprise. Maman always looked out for herself, and if anyone else was helped or harmed along the way, it didn’t matter to her. 

My body trembles with the urge to sprint back to Maman’s and wring her neck, even if she is in Ginger Two’s body. Her trap didn’t just hurt anyone, her trap is hurting Laura. My hands clench into fists and I know if I let loose and punch the wall like I want, the entire library will come crashing down on us in retaliation. 

“Carm?” Laura reaches up with the arm that’s not connected to her injured shoulder. She gently cups my face and I close my eyes, leaning into the touch. “What’s wrong? Is it that bad?”

It’s both good and bad news that she seems more focused. Good because she’ll be able to hear and understand the gravity of this situation better. Bad because… the pain will be coming soon.

“It is poisoned, and not one that can be cured by any antitoxin we can get ahold of.”

The ginger nerd swears quietly. Normally, I would tease them mercilessly, but not now.

“Will it hurt much? Because I’m not feeling much pain right now.” Laura winces, a slight movement, but a sure sign that the second stage is starting.

“Sorry, cupcake.” My throat closes on me and I choke back a sob. Oh gods, I am not prepared to lose her. She’s so young, she can’t die yet. She can’t leave, not while things still aren’t right between us. “But it’s going to hurt a lot.”

“Is it…” LaFontaine trails off, gulping audibly in the deafening silence of my anguish. “Is it fatal?”

“Yes,” I whisper. 

Saying it shatters my already broken heart because it makes it real. Laura, my Laura, is going to die. We may not be together but she is always mine, just as I am forever hers.

There is an invisible weight on my chest, making it hard to breathe, even though I have been dead for centuries and haven’t had to since my death.

“Is there anything we can do?” Their voice breaks.

“There is one thing I can do. It comes with pain as well, and there is also a possibility that you will die. It’s something I would never wish on anyone, especially you. Only with your consent will I do it.” I tell her, knowing that she probably recognizes what I’m talking about.

“What is it?” LaFontaine asks. 

“Turning Laura into a vampire.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I broke my own heart writing this chapter. What do you guys think? How much do you hate me? :) No promises on anything... If you want to curse me out anonymously on here or on Tumblr (also wolf3223) feel free to. Thank you guys for the kudos and thanks for reading! Stay awesome!


	5. Chapter 5

Laura and LaFontaine stare at me mutely. I don’t blame them; I don’t want to damn her to an eternal life of torment. To be a monster is one thing, but to make the woman you love a monster… that’s another thing entirely.

“Alright,” she says quietly.

“Are you sure?” The ginger and I ask at the same time.

Laura nods, that annoyingly cute determined expression on her face. “I trust you, Carm. Do it.” Her words trail off and she squirms. 

The second stage has begun. I know from personal experience how painful it is. Some humans got ahold of the poison in the eighteenth century and tortured me. Funnily enough, they thought that I was a witch. Once that poison was out of my system, I painted the village red with their blood. The other time was when Maman put me into my coffin. She was so furious at the fact I loved someone, let alone a human, that she gave me it before she put me in there. The blood in the coffin trapped the toxin for longer than normal, so I suffered in agony for what felt like years. 

To save Laura from that torment would feel like a mercy if it didn’t mean I have to turn her. My greatest fear is her death, because not all make it through the transformation. Even if she survives, the long centuries we live change us. She could become a demon hidden in human skin, like my mother. I don’t mean that in a literal sense, but however unlikely, Laura could become evil.

I glance to LaFontaine and they nod. I still hesitate.

“Carmilla. She wants to be turned; it’s the only way to save her and she consented. None of this is your fault.”

Their words reassure me only slightly, but that combined with Laura gasping quietly in pain is enough. They step back and gesture toward her, silently urging me closer.  
I crouch down and gently brush her hair away from her neck, looking up into her eyes. I see nothing but trust, and this might be my wishful thinking, but I see love as well.   
Her muscles are tense, and I have learned that the bite hurts more when that’s the case. 

I grasp her jaw softly, stroking her with my thumb. Her eyes flutter shut and a lone tear escapes her eyes, though that could be either from the fact I’m going to bite her or her pain. She relaxes quickly and I’m grateful for that. I don’t want her to be in pain longer than necessary. 

I take a deep breath to calm my nerves and lean in.


	6. Chapter 6

I listen to Laura’s heart beat and notice that it speeds up even more. My lips are so close to her neck I’m sure she can feel my breath. 

It’s a habit she observed and commented on when she had me tied up. Not breathing feels odd and unnatural, and adds to humans’ discomfort in my presence. Their minds pick it up even if they’re not aware of it and it puts them on alert. 

I take a second to make sure I’m in control enough not to permanently kill her and kiss her neck. I hear LaFontaine turn away; they probably don’t want to see one of their best friends being turned.

I silently apologize to the woman I love for not only doing this, but for putting her in a situation where this is the only option. I knew there are traps and if I thought of it sooner, if I had run a little faster… 

Laura tilts her head, letting me know that she’s ready.

I choke back the fear and the self-hatred and bite into her. Gently, at first, before I have to find an artery or vein to sink my fangs into. After centuries of being what I am, I have become adept at doing this and I find one within seconds.

Laura lets out a heart wrenching whimper and I curse whatever being made this an inevitable reality. She doesn’t deserve this; she doesn’t deserve any of what’s happened to her.   
I shudder at her taste, it’s better than I remember. Laura tastes like happiness and sunshine and the love I’ve yearned for. To be honest, it’s almost indescribable. 

The monster inside me begs me to drain this delectable treat dry but I love her with every cell of my body and the love wins. I have never turned anyone; I have never felt the urge to create any more monsters. There are enough of those in this world and I hate that I am corrupting such a beautiful soul. Maman was always too busy to teach me such trivial things. She had Mattie, who she entrusted to teach her “glittering girl” everything. I think Mattie only agreed because she saw something in the quiet, angry maiden I was. To her, I could be the companion she’d been wanting for centuries, a sister not in blood but in loyalty and devotion.

Thinking of her, my dead sister, breaks my heart. I am over the anger and I don’t blame Laura. If she survives this, I’ll be sure to tell her. It wasn’t her fault.

Remembering the instructions Mattie gave me so long ago, I push the venom into her blood stream. Laura cries out but I force myself to ignore it. I can feel concern radiating off of the ginger, but they say nothing. My fangs don’t seem to want to retract but they obey after a moment. 

I lick the wound and it closes quickly, but there’s a scar. The turning bite never fades. 

I pull back and collapse onto the floor, my legs unwilling to hold me up after what I’ve done.

Laura’s already turning paler, her heartbeat already slowing. She’s unconscious and I bury my head in my hands, trying to hide the tears streaming from my eyes.

I just killed her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, dramatic, huh? Laura's dying, and she might not survive... Do you hate me or do you hate me? Also, I know some of you beautiful people are going to notice that yes, Carmilla's crying. In the show, I think she was quoting whatever she was watching when she said "vampires don't cry". That's my theory, anyway. Thank you guys so much for a thousand views!


	7. Chapter 7

“Is she going to make it?” LaFontaine asks.

I wipe the tears off my face even though new ones are still leaking from my eyes.

“Ultimately, it’s up to her, whether she rejects the change or not.” They’re thoughtful enough to ignore how rough my voice is. “It’s different for everyone, but she basically has a choice to make. Laura will decide whether she’s going to die and become a vampire, or just die. If her mind rejects the change, she’ll… she’ll die.”

“And if Laura doesn’t reject it?”

“She’ll be a new vampire. I’ll have to keep her somewhere away from humans because that’s when the bloodlust is the strongest.”

They nod, running a hand through their short hair. “So you should probably take her somewhere while she’s still like this. How long does the change take, anyways?”

“Anywhere from half an hour to a week. Though any less than a day means they rejected the change.”

It’s odd, how calmly I’m talking about this. Laura is turning. If she survives, she’ll be as bloodthirsty as I was when I first turned. 

“Do whatever you have to. Is there any way you can get her out of the library? I’d prefer to not be drained by one of my best friends.”

“Shit, sorry. I’ll have to leave you here alone.”

They shrug and give me a good-natured smile. “Don’t worry; I have a laptop, internet, and a portable lab. I’ll be okay.”

“Will you?” Their best friend is possessed by Maman and I just killed one of their friends and there’s a chance she’ll stay dead. If I were in their situation, I wouldn’t be okay. 

The ginger’s face falls slightly and I can see exhaustion in their eyes. “I will. Take care of your girl, Karnstein.”

“She’s not my-”

“She is and always will be, you undead useless lesbian.” I scowl at them and they laugh before they become serious. “She does miss you, you know. Sometimes when I came in to check on her, she was sleeping on your couch bed or hugging your leather jacket that she stole.” I wondered where that went. LaFontaine pauses and puts a hand on my shoulder. “I know you love her, and I trust that you’ll do everything you can to keep her safe.”

“Thanks, Ginger One.” I clear my throat and lean back against the nearest wall. “I have a cottage that’s not on campus, so the Corvet creeps don’t know about it. It’s in the woods.” I get up and go over to the desk, grabbing a pencil and a sticky note. “Here’s the coordinates, just in case you need to get out of here.”

“How are you going to get out?”

“I can talk to the library-”

“Hang on; you can talk to the library?”

“Yes. It’s sentient and prehistoric, so it has its own language that Mother taught me.”

Their eyes are huge and their voice is full of awe as they murmur “that’s fucking awesome.”

I see a flashing light out of the corner of my eye and I turn my head. When I see what it is, I breathe out a laugh. “Is that recording?”

The ginger nerd blinks at their laptop before grinning. “Yes, yes it is.”

“Of course.” I shake my head and automatically go to look at Laura; I frown at the sight of her slumped, pale, and barely breathing. Right, I was doing something. For Laura. “I’m going to talk to the library.” I say before walking in that direction, knowing that Laura would usually be teasingly calling me a “girl on a mission”. 

I take a deep breath, preparing myself and reminding myself who I’m doing this for. Laura.


	8. Chapter 8

The language the library speaks is one no mortal has ever spoken and one that no human could ever understand. So I will explain what happens in our conversation.

The library, with its ancient and supposedly infinite knowledge, already knows why I’m there. I have spent years of my undead life in here, and argued the meanings of everything, from books to the meaning of life, so it does like me more than it likes most others. It’s also taken quite a liking to LaF and Laura. It lets me know it was impressed with their homemade flame thrower. It assures me it will take care of the ginger and will allow them to find the hoard of food down here. 

I listen to the tunnels rearrange and thank the library. I don’t want them to only eat chocolate and chips. The library is sympathetic about what happened to the cupcake in the tunnels and what I had to do, so it agrees to let us out in a safe place. I make sure to thank it again before dashing back to Laura. 

“What happened?” LaFontaine asks.

“It agreed to let us out and to let you find the food store down here so you won’t have to survive just on junk food.” They seem surprised that I thought of them and mutter a shy thank you. “Post that video with everything that happened so her followers know what’s going on. If you need anything or get worried or need to talk, contact me through email or whatever. I have a laptop at the cottage.”

I write down my email address and my skype that Laura made me get.

“Thanks again. You have blood there, right?”

“I might have to go out and get more, but yes I do. Stay safe.”

I grab the backpack she brought, slinging it over my shoulder and then lift Laura up gently into my arms. I fondlygive the ginger the finger before running off.

Even using my vampire speed, it takes me half an hour to get out of the tunnels and another two hours to get to my cottage. 

It’s small and in the middle of nowhere and a little run down after fifty years of use. It was built by some arrogant architect that tried to squeeze as much money as he could from me. Even his blood tasted greedy. 

However much I didn’t like the man, he did a good job. After all these years, the wood still looks glossy and new and there are no drafts. The door is an ugly green that I haven’t bothered to fix and there are no windows, as I requested. The sun doesn’t cause vampires to burst into flames, but it does agitate the skin. Especially after decades underground. It’s worst right after turning, but it’s still only a minor annoyance. 

Since this was my escape, it’s only built for one person. I carry her inside and gently set her on the only bed, a single. Laura’s head lolls to the side and I tuck her in. I pull up a chair to the side of her bed and hold her hand. I plan on staying by her side as long as I can.


	9. Chapter 9

Laura’s Point of View

I don’t know where I am. Everything’s dark, an endless void. My limbs are frozen in place and I can’t even open my eyes. Did Carmilla go through this? 

Everything is a contradiction. I am floating, but my body feels so heavy. There’s a complete absence of light, so dark even the sun couldn’t warm it, yet I am blinded by the brightness. I am stuck in a vast plane of nothing, yet the shadowy space surrounding me is so thick it’s suffocating. My body is numb, but I am in agony. 

My throat is stinging with an insatiable thirst that’s burning me alive.

While I’m in this hollow place, I’m also aware of another me. She’s on a bed with an exhausted looking Carmilla watching her with despairing, watery eyes. I want nothing more than to reach out and cup that gorgeous face and tell her that her Laura will be okay. But I’m stuck here, watching through a hazy looking glass. 

That image fades and I want to shout at it to come back, but I am small and the universe is large and my voice is lost in the silence. So I try to distract myself by remembering the good times. My mother and I swinging on a playground. My father and I watching Doctor Who until one in the morning on a school night. Graduating high school. Seeing Carmilla smile for the first time. Seeing the terrified girl behind the sarcastic exterior. Carmilla and I dancing. Carmilla betraying everything she’s ever known for me. Seeing Carmilla after thinking she died for me, because of me, for a week. Kissing Carmilla for the first time. Being able to call Carmilla my girlfriend for the first time. Making love to Carmilla for the first time. Hearing her tell me she loves me. Kissing Carmilla after weeks of torturous distance. Carmilla.

All I succeed in doing is breaking my own heart and I throw away that line of thought for revisiting later. 

All of the sudden, the darkness fades. I can still feel it here, but I’m somewhere else. I give my eyes a moment to focus and would yelp at the sight before me if I were not voiceless. 

I stand before… me. My eyes are silver and there’s blood dripping down my chin. The other me grins, revealing fangs. This is me as a vampire. For some reason, I’m not freaking out too much, just staring at vampire me. Her clothes look like something I would wear now, but her body screams predator in a way my human body never could. 

The view changes and I can hear rain lazily hitting a roof. I’m in a small room in what looks like a cabin. There’s another me on a bed, terribly pale and unmoving. Carmilla’s standing next to the bed, shaking, a chair leaning against a wall as if it had been pushed back suddenly. I walk closer, so focused on her I don’t notice that I can actually move. Tears stream down her face and I know that the other me is dead.

Everything shifts and shrinks and I can see the two scenes side by side. Vampire me and dead me. I am randomly struck with the knowledge that I can move my body and I know this is for me to decide. To die, or to live undead. 

I take a deep breath and I choose.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, cliffhanger. How much do you hate me now? (Mwa ha ha ha) Feel free to (anonymously or not) let me know what you think! I don't really like the internal monologue, but oh well, you guys get it anyways. Thanks for reading and stay awesome!


	10. Chapter 10

Carmilla’s Point of View

I hate that I have to leave her, but with the current blood situation in which I have none left, there’s no way a newborn vampire will make it through the first few hours comfortably. I leave to get blood. For Laura and for me. Even with that in mind, I don’t want to leave her for a second longer than what’s necessary. It’s still early in the change, only a day and 15 hours and 43 minutes in. Keeping track of the time has kept me from pulling my hair out and going insane. It’s unlikely that anything will happen if I hurry.

Luckily, I know of a great nearby hospital that doesn’t ask questions if you throw an obscene amount of money at them. I run there as fast as I can and hand the materialistic head guy an envelope stuffed full of money. His greedy eyes sparkle and he tells a security guard to escort me to their blood storage area.

It’s a personal rule of mine not to take any rare blood or O blood. I may be a monster, but my undead heart still has empathy. I fit as many bags as I can in the cooler I brought and sprint to my cabin.

It may not be enough for as long as Laura needs to stay there, but we can drink from the wildlife. Though I suspect she’ll hate that, even though we don’t have to kill them. Plus, animal blood and human blood taste vastly different. Some peculiar vampires like the taste of what I jokingly refer to as beast blood, but most prefer human blood. Especially new vampires.  
I put the blood in the refrigerator and sit back down on my chair by Laura’s side.

She hasn’t moved, which is normal, but it’s eerie. To see someone so full of life and love lying on a bed, pale and motionless… Its heart wrenching. 

I sigh and rub my face with my hands, getting up and turning on my laptop. Apparently, the ginger nerd posted the video and my Twitter is blowing up with angry and concerned fans of Laura’s. 

I groan and pull up Skype.

“Hey, grumpy cat.” LaFontaine looks incredibly proud of their internet joke.

“Ginger One. My Twitter inbox thing is full of Laura’s fans yelling at me. I have officially been sent my first online death threat.”

“Online? You’ve been sent one in the mail?” I raise an eyebrow and they chuckle. “Oh, right. Undead bad ass vampire, of course you have. On that bloodsucking note, how’s Laura?”  
“Nothing to report. She’s still unconscious, and hasn’t given any indication either way.”

“Well, that’s good, I think. But it sucks not knowing.” 

“It really does.”

“I’m going to continue trying to hack into the Dean’s computer from my laptop. See ya, fangs.”

They press a button and the window blinks “connection lost” for a moment before closing itself. I shut down my laptop and grab a blood bag. I pour it into Laura’s salvaged TARDIS mug and take a sip. 

I nearly spit it out when Laura screams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're back in Carmilla's Point of View and I just want to mention how much fun it is to write from her perspective! She's so broody and gay but she's also undead and a good person. I thought I would get farther in this chapter, but I decided this is a great place to end it. Not the story, don't worry, the chapter. Also, chapter 10??? I guess time passes fast when you're writing lesbian fan fiction. Thank you guys so much for over 50 kudos and close to 1,900 views! You guys are awesome! And you might hate my guts now, but if this next chapter works out the way I think it will, you will love me! Maybe. :)


	11. Chapter 11

Laura screams and I almost jump out of my skin in shock. She shouldn’t be doing much, not this early. But this could mean she’s made her decision. It’s not even day two of the change yet. This is either good or very, very bad. 

I lean toward Laura, watching her face closely for a sign. Anything so I can know if she’s truly going to die.

Her heart stops completely and I put my head in my hands, everything hitting me with full force. I shake but no tears come from my eyes. I’m too horrified at what I am, what I’ve become. She’s officially dead. I killed her. I killed Laura. I killed the only person I’ve found worth living for. With her, for the first time in centuries, I felt normal. I felt human. I felt like maybe I’m not that monster. I love her, and I know that no other will take my undead heart. I am doomed, a monster with all of these horrid emotions, to walk the Earth until I wither away into nothingness. 

I saw this coming, me being the destruction of her. Laura’s too kind, too courageous, and much too beautiful and I knew I would mess this up. I knew my darkness would taint her light. And now that light has gone out altogether. I have destroyed her.

Laura sits up on the bed and I just look at her, not allowing myself to believe these lying eyes. She’s gone, she’s dead. Laura’s eyes are silver and fangs protrude from her mouth.

She’s looking at me. 

How will this illusion torture me? With sharp, stabbing words or by showing me what I could have made her?

“Carm?” 

The sound is like a punch to the gut and my hand blurs, tentatively touching her arm. 

She’s real. 

Tears stream down my face and her eyes return to their normal beautiful chocolate brown. Her mouth is twisted down in a frown and I know she’s concerned because I haven’t said anything but I’m mute. I’m speechless with a joy beyond description. There are no words for this feeling. 

Laura reaches out and cups my jaw in her small but capable hands and I lean into the touch.

“Laura,” I manage to get out.

Her face lights up. “Hey. I was worried for a second. Are you okay?”

I choke out a watery laugh. “Cupcake, you just joined the ranks of the undead and you’re asking me if I’m okay?”

“Yeah, I care about you Carm.” We have one of those awkward tension moments I hate from bad television shows where all that’s going through my mind is ‘I really want to kiss her’. Laura clears her throat and laughs nervously. “Besides, I thought vampires don’t cry?”

Good. This I can do. I can deal with bantering and probably-closer-than-friends-but-neither-of-us-are-going-to-mention-it touching but not the moments when everything fades away and there’s only her. 

“That couldn’t be less true. Becoming undead doesn’t stop that unfortunate side effect of having emotions.”

And I have never felt more grateful to those emotions I have cursed since my undeath. Because loving her, even if it isn’t mutual, is the best feeling I’ve been cursed with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm confirming, for those of you still skeptical, that Laura is alive. Or undead, more accurately. To explain (just in case you are a bit lost) Carmilla thought Laura had died and not come back. When Laura sat up, she thought it was an illusion or a hallucination. And yes, I was building to this all along and knew this was what I was going to write. Well, Laura was going to wake up after a week but I decided angst sounded better (evil cackling).  
> But don't worry, you fluff lovers, because there's a lot of that coming up. Also more angst. But there's definitely cuteness in this story's near future.   
> Thank you guys for 2,000 reads!!! That's awesome! Thanks again for the love! :D


	12. Chapter 12

Laura’s laugh is music to my ears after two days of the torture of not knowing. She’s quickly serious again and studies me like I’m her new favorite show to figure out. “Why are you crying?”

My eyes are still doing that? Stupid things. “I’ve damned the only woman I’ve loved in decades to an eternal life. I’m terrified of what you might become, of what I might make you become.”

Running away from my feelings and not talking to Laura was one of the reasons our relationship failed. Thinking she was dead was enough to emphasize how much I don’t want to live without her. Even if we never have a romantic relationship again, being in her presence is enough. It has to be. 

Laura shakes her head, “It was the only way, Carm. And thanks, for you know, saving my life again. Sorta. Does it count as saving my life if I’m undead now?”

I laugh, automatically leaning in and touching our foreheads together. Her mind is fascinating. I studied psychology with Freud himself (I tracked him down and he had no problem teaching me his theories as long as I didn’t mind him studying me) and got a degree from that hellhole of a college. I have never encountered someone like her in all my years. She’s utterly unique.

Only when I notice Laura blushing furiously do I realize exactly how close we are. I move back, hating that we messed up whatever we have (or even more depressing, had) so much that I can’t be close to her the way I want.

I miss her. She’s sitting right in front of me, but knowing she’s not mine and might never be again makes the hollowness in my chest ache more than usual. And I don’t miss the kind of touching I’m sure the dirty minds of Laura’s fans think about. Sure, I miss that but not as much as I miss just holding her in my arms and reveling in the fact that she’s mine and I’m hers. 

I remember another thing about new vampires and glance at the clock. I grimace at the time.

“What is it?” Laura asks, gently touching my hand.

I ignore my stupid emotions that have me swooning at her mere touch and get blood from the fridge. I grab one for me, knowing Laura will want her TARDIS mug to drink out of. I get another mug to pour my blood into. I hand Laura her mug and her face lights up.

“You saved this? How did you even get it?” 

“I have my ways, cutie. And you wanted to know why I looked at the clock.” Laura nods, wiggling in the bed, her eyes shining with barely concealed excitement. She loves knowing new information, especially if its about me or vampires in general. “I’m not going to sugarcoat it for you. The first night after a new vampire’s transformation, they transform again. You’re going to turn into whatever your animal is. I’ll turn with you and help you through the night. You’ll be able to turn back again in the morning.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think Laura's going to turn into? Thank you lovely people for reading and stay awesome!


	13. Chapter 13

“It’ll get dark soon. Let me email Ginger One to let them know you’re okay and then we should go outside. And I have to warn you, the first shift is the hardest and the most painful.” 

“Why do we need to go outside?” Laura asks, sipping her blood.

“Your natural instincts will make you freak out if you’re inside or in an enclosed space.”

She nods and we drink in silence. I watch the clock and email the science nerd. When it gets close to night time, I hold out my hand. Laura looks slightly confused but takes my hand anyways. I help her up and keep a hand on her waist as she stands on wobbly legs. I have to keep reminding my foolish heart that she doesn’t love me and after everything, she probably doesn’t want to be with me anymore. She’s nice to me because she’s nice to everyone. She doesn’t love me.

I lead her to a large stone near the house for her to sit on. I go back and close the door. I walk back and freeze, staring at Laura. Her head’s tilted back and her eyes are closed. The light from the sun set is hitting her in a way that takes my breath away. Her hair shines vibrantly and she has this little smile that warms my undead heart. She looks so happy, so content that I forget everything that isn’t her. 

Laura’s eyes open slowly and she looks at me with an almost amused expression. I’m sure I’m looking at her like she put the stars in the sky just for me. I walk over to her in a daze and shake my head, focusing myself. 

“Darkness falls across the land. The midnight hour is close at hand.” I murmur and Laura laughs and that beautiful smile is because of me.

“You like Michael Jackson?” She giggles.

I almost break down in relief. She’s become undead and she’s still her usual dorky, amazing self. 

“Yes, I met him once. He wanted me to be in the Thriller music video but Maman forbade me from doing it. She called him an uncultured human that would never amount to anything. Look at him now. The King of Pop and he’s also dead.”

“That’s awesome! I didn’t know you can dance.”

“Do you not remember us waltzing? And Mattie and I dancing?” I tease her, knowing what she meant.

“I do remember. I meant I didn’t know you could dance anything more modern.” She maturely sticks out her tongue.

Laura pats the rock she’s sitting on with a grin. I sit next to her, our sides pressed together. It’s big, but barely big enough to have the two of us sitting on it together   
“I’d show you, creampuff, but I’m afraid it’s almost time.”

Laura stiffens. I know from experience that she’s feeling the pull of the night drawing near. “You’ll be with me the whole time?”

“Always.”

I shift first, watching sadly as she whimpers in pain. I turn away so I don’t have to see. The first shift is the most difficult and the most painful, but it’s also the hardest to watch. Her body won’t shift as fast as I do, taking its time to rearrange bones and organs. After this first shift, however, her body will quickly get used to shifting until it feels natural and doesn’t hurt a bit.

I turn once the pained cries stop and laugh as best I can as I giant panther. Of course that’s her animal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This went a different way than I thought... I was going to tell you guys what animal Laura turns into, but it didn't work out that way... I promise, you will know in the next chapter and also, it's going to be so cute. When I was thinking of ideas for the next chapter in Chemistry, I almost said "aww" out loud during school in an otherwise silent room. So no worries, the angst is going to be later, you get fluffy chapters first! Thank you for reading and stay awesome!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Props to stardiouses for guessing Laura's animal correctly, my best friend didn't even get it right (though her idea was pretty cool)!

“Why are you so big?” Laura questions, her brown eyes blinking innocently.

“Because you’re so tiny.” I respond, amused.

“Hey! I’m not-” She pauses, confused. “Wait. How are we communicating?”

“I honestly have no idea, cupcake. But when vampires shift, we can communicate somehow.”

“So sorts of like telepathy,” Laura muses. 

“Perhaps.”

“What animal did I turn into?” She spins around, trying to get a good look at herself.

“You’re a little lioness cub.”

Laura perks up at that and her tail swishes happily. “Why am I a cub and not big like you?”

“You’re a new vampire. I was as tiny as you.” I lay down and Laura pads over to me.

“Aww, I bet you were so cute. I wish I could see a picture. Were cameras invented yet?”

“The first picture was taken in 1814.” I yawn, the stress of worrying about her constantly-more than usual-these past few days finally catching up with me. “Stop making me feel old.”

“You’re older than sliced bread. And the internet. And light bulbs. Whoa.” Laura’s eyes are wide. “How did you survive without the internet?”

“It wasn’t invented yet, so I had no concept of what the internet is and can be. You don’t know what you’re missing until you have it.”

That could apply to Laura and I’s relationship, as well. Before I knew she existed, I didn’t know how good life could be. When I had her, I was truly happy for the first time ever. In my life, I was a pale, sickly girl too frail for any man to claim. In my undeath, I was a slave to the obligation of helping Mother feed a hungry fish god stuck in a hole. Now that I’ve lost her, being without her is agonizing and being in the same room as her is a blissful torture that I could never regret. 

Laura goes quiet, and I watch the little lioness watch me. With the nervous energy in the tiny ball of fur, paired with the energy she naturally has after shifting, it must be difficult for her to sit still. Sure enough, her paw reaches out and boops my nose. I blink at her and she’s off like a shot, her laughter ringing in my head. She runs in circles around me, a little golden streak going past me every few seconds. 

Laura starts scratching at trees when she gets bored of running around me, and I get up and lumber over. She turns around, her eyes sparkling and her tail swishing. I was going to show her how to properly shred a tree with her claws, but I think I’ve made myself her next target. 

I lie down again and she quickly scrambles up my side and onto my back. She rests there, her tiny body shaking with the force of her purring. I shift my weight, making sure she won’t fall off before I finally allow myself to purr as well. I fall asleep happier than I have in weeks.


	15. Chapter 15

There’s something pinning me down. Something warm. I panic, opening my eyes quickly. Where am I? Did Maman put me back into my coffin?

I relax when I see Laura in human form practically sleeping on top of me. Her head is resting on my shoulder and she snuggles closer to me. She must have unconsciously noticed me tensing up. One of my arms is resting on top of her back. 

I look up at the sky through the trees, glad we chose a shady place to fall asleep. The sun shining directly on Laura would agitate her skin. I yawn and go back to sleep, Laura’s weight on my chest making a smile spread across my face that doesn’t disappear even when I sink into unconsciousness.

When I wake up again, it’s because I feel Laura moving. I open my eyes to see her blushing and staring down at me. When she sees I’m awake, she shuffles back until she’s straddling my legs, letting out a meep. I sit up and our faces are really close. I could lean in and kiss her. But I don’t. She doesn’t like me like that and I would never do anything that would make her uncomfortable. Laura’s eyes drop to my lips and then back to my eyes, flushing further. She probably can see how much I want to kiss her.

Laura turns into a little lioness, balancing precariously on my legs. She moves my legs apart and sits on the ground between them. I look down at her, amused. Laura mews at me, confusion in her voice.

“You’re a new vampire, cutie. When your emotions get too strong or you want to escape an awkward situation, you’ll shift.”

I pick her up and she meows as I cradle her in my arms. I stand, careful not to move too much and jostle the cub in my arms. Laura climbs up and rests her upper body on my shoulder, her head dropping and pressing against my upper back. At least she didn’t use her claws. I happen to like this shirt.

I carry her to the cottage, staying in the shade and shielding her from the sun as best I can. Laura doesn’t seem to care much. She rubs her head against mine, purring, for most of the way. She licks my cheek happily when I purr back. When we’re back inside, I gently set her down. 

“Do you think you can shift back?” I ask and Laura shakes her tiny head. Oh right, I never taught her how. “Think of something that makes you happy or calms you. It could be someone as well, such as your father.”

Laura shifts back easily and honestly, I’m impressed. I’ve only taught Will and taught a little bit to JP, and it took dear William a week before he could shift back. Though it was fun to chase him around because he turned into a lizard as big as my hand when he was new. 

“I’ll get us some blood to drink, and then I’m going to Skype the mad scientist. They’re worried about you.” I tell Laura. “I can’t wait to tell them how cute you are as a kitten.”

I’m already pouring blood into our respective mugs when she responds. “I’m a lioness!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short story time for you guys. One time in 10th grade there was this boy that had no idea what a lioness is. We were paired up for a project. In Biology. Fun times.   
> Thank you guys for your amazing supportive comments! Stay awesome!


	16. Chapter 16

I still haven’t Skyped LaFontaine. Laura didn’t want her friend to see her drinking blood, which is something I completely understand. Ginger One knows that she’s a vampire, of course. But knowing and seeing one of your closest friends drink blood are two entirely different things. It makes me grateful I didn’t have any close friends when I was alive. Not that Maman would allow me to see them one last time. 

Now I’m having a hard time calming Laura down. Every vampire reacts differently after they drink blood, though it always makes us stronger. With Laura, it makes her incredibly hyper.

She’s in her little lioness form and refuses to even attempt to change back. She scurries around the room as I sit in my chair for my computer desk. The drapes are ruined beyond recognition and she’s shredded the bottom of a leg of another chair so badly it’s teetering on three legs.

“Come on, cupcake. The mad scientist is worried. Please change back, I’m sure they want to see your pretty face.” Laura stops running around and just stares at me. I had no idea a lion cub could look smug. “Yes, your face is pretty. We both know this.” Laura darts forward and leaps into my lap. She licks my hand before curling up, yawning. “Alright, alright. You don’t have to change back. I’ll just have to explain what this adorable kitten is doing in my lap.”

Laura mews, no doubt annoyed that I called her a kitten again. I smile and Skype the ginger nerd. 

“Hey, Catmilla. How is Laura?”

She squirms in my lap, looking up at me. She definitely heard LaFontaine’s awful new nickname for me.

“Worn-out. She ran around the room a lot and then jumped into my lap.” I reach down and begin to gently stroke her fur. The tiny fluff ball purrs, snuggling into me further.  
“That doesn’t sound like Laura. Is she okay? Where is she?”

“She got very hyper after drinking blood and turned into her animal.”

“Dude, that’s awesome! I thought that wouldn’t happen for a while, like that’s an age thing or something. What’s her animal?” LaFontaine leans closer, grinning. Their eyes dart around, trying to catch a glimpse of her.

I wrap my hands around Laura’s tiny body. “I’m going to lift you up, okay? LaF wants to see you. Growl if you’re not okay with it.”

Laura stays quiet and I lift her so that the camera can see her. She blinks tiredly and lets out a cute little yawn. Knowing from experience that being held up like this isn’t exactly comfortable, I rearrange her so that I’m supporting her upper body and lower body. Laura mews and turns around in my hands. She squirms until her upper body is resting on my shoulder, her hind legs and tail dangling.

“That’s Laura? She’s tinier than normal! Do you think she’ll let me take samples? I really want to know more about this changing thing.”

“If you come within ten feet of her with a pointy object with intent to experiment I will rip you to shreds.” I rumble.

“And there are the terrifying threats. I was wondering where they went. You are so much less intimidating when you’re looking at Laura with a love-sick expression.” I open my mouth to protest, but they cut me off. “Don’t even try to deny it, Catmilla. You’re whipped.”

They sign off laughing and I groan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Random rambling: My best friend's idea was for Laura's animal to be a chipmunk or a mouse, something that Carmilla's panther would naturally hunt. Laura is very energetic and fiery and definitely could've been something like that, but I had already decided on lioness Laura :) To me, the animal isn't just a reflection of who they are as people, but also of their relationship dynamic. That's one reason I chose a lioness. They clash because they're similar, but in the end they compliment each other. That's how I see it, at least. 
> 
> On another note, thank you beautiful humans so much for over 3,000 reads and 100 kudos! :D Stay awesome!


	17. Chapter 17

Laura is understandably exhausted, even after her cat naps (pun very much intended). She’s still weak after turning, so I make her take the bed. Somehow, as tired as she is, she still finds that annoying stubbornness within her and argues that it’s my cabin, she shouldn’t make me sleep on the floor. I only give in when she says that she won’t sleep until she knows that I’m there next to her (it has nothing to do with that pout). 

We both ignore the implications of her words, but I can’t help hoping that someday I’ll be able to lie next to her as girlfriends once more. 

It’s a single bed, the one we’re sharing. I have never had anyone come up here with me, so I didn’t need a bigger one, or another. And hauling an entire bed through the forest to get one here sounds too draining, so I won’t do that unless it’s absolutely necessary. 

She changes into the pajamas I give her in the bathroom and I change into mine while she’s gone. I slide into bed, half of my body practically hanging off of it in an attempt to give Laura as much space as possible. 

I listen to her footsteps getting closer and hear how she hesitates at the edge of the bed before getting in. Even with me half on half off the bed, our bodies are still inches apart. 

“Why are you all the way over there?” Laura yawns, turning on her side to face me. Her eyes are closed. “You’re my friend, Carm. Get over here.” I hesitate, and she notices. “Friends cuddle. Now get over here.”

I recognize her serious voice and scooch closer, still unsure. She grumbles, her voice thick with sleep and grabs my body, pulling me closer. She buries her head in my shoulder and it feels just like when we were dating and shared a bed. Minus the relationship and the sleepy kisses. 

We’re friends. Remember what Laura said. We’re just friends. I fall asleep silently repeating those words.

***  
It’s dark where I am, darker than the inside of my coffin. She’s here, my only friend and ally through the centuries. The hand of guilt is wrapped around my throat, making it impossible to breathe. I plead, begging for something unclear to me. Everything is foggy, like stars seen through a bad telescope.

In an instant I can focus. Tears of blood drip down my face and I sob, not bothering to quiet my sorrows. It’s my fault. I told Laura how to kill her. It’s my fault. Someone’s screaming and it’s so heart wrenching with such animalistic grief that it takes me a bit to recognize the screams as my own. It dies down quickly, replaced by hushed whimpers.

“Mattie, Laura, I’m sorry. I’ve killed you both.”

Warm arms wrap around me and I shatter, letting all my repressed emotions out in the form of tears.

I killed the two women I love the most.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANGST! It'll get better soon (probably...) I got the idea for Carmilla's dream-type thingy when I was in my mom's car, listening to music. It was great, my entire face lit up and I whispered "rude" to myself and laughed. But we're in for some Hollstein comforting!


	18. Chapter 18

I slowly come back to myself and out of the torture that my mind has inflicted on me. I’m shaking but it’s not cold; I’m wrapped in warmth. Exhaustion makes my limbs weak and I purr tiredly, snuggling closer to my heat source. 

I wake feeling rested and sit up. I stretch out my limbs, my eyes still closed.

“Dammit Carm, its cold. Get back here.” Laura groans, rolling over and dragging me back down into her arms. She’s as strong as me now; she does it easily. 

I’m frozen. Did she calm me? Was she that warmth that lulled me back to sleep? If she calmed me that easily… No one else has ever been able to do that. I’ve had bad nightmares similar to those before and not even the threat of being put back in that coffin could pull me out. Not even Will’s stupid smirk and even worse jokes could bring me out of my mind to make a snarky comment. Mattie’s descriptive death threats failed to make me smile. Just drinking blood drained me of all energy I had.

“Morning,” Laura yawns. I stay silent and keep my eyes shut. “Carmilla? Are you okay?”

The fear in her voice makes me automatically open my eyes and tense, ready to fight whatever’s scaring her. Her face is extremely close to mine, her mouth turned down worriedly. I silently stare at her, my eyes tracing her features. She’s so beautiful. Someday, if she allows me to, I’d love to immortalize that gorgeous face even more by painting it.

“Carm? Are you okay? Did I not do good last night?” I choke on nothing, wide-eyed. Did we…? Laura doesn’t notice; she’s too focused on her oncoming ramble. “I’m not great at comforting people; I babysat once and was never hired back because the kid would not stop crying. I think it had to do more with the fact that it was cold, but…” I don’t try to hold back my relieved laugh. She was talking about her comforting me after my nightmare. Good. “You’re laughing at me.” Gods, that pout is back.

If we ever do… that again, I’m going to charm the pants off her (note to self: bonus if literally). She’s the most precious thing in my life. I’m old fashioned, I guess you could say. Though I’m hers as much as she is mine and I’m confident she could make me change my mind in a second with one pleading look.

I miss the feel of her lips against mine and the indescribable comfort she gave me more than anything else.

I smile at her. “Just laughing. No worries, cupcake, I’m fine.” 

“Are you sure? Your nightmare last night must have been pretty bad.” 

Laura didn’t ask what I dreamt about. Huh.

“It was.” I don’t want to say more about it. 

Laura seems to understand this and squeezes my hand. The bats in my stomach are nothing new, but this happiness that I only feel in her presence certainly is. And she calmed me down so easily… Why? How? It hits me like a hammer to the back of the head. 

“Oh shit.” 

I don’t just love her. I’m in love with her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If only the show could capture that "oh shit" moment because that I would pay to see.
> 
> On another note, I'm headed to Germany with my mom and Oma (grandma) for the Christmas Markets. (I'm missing five days of classes in my junior year of high school. That's my oh shit moment for the season) I'll bring my computer, but we're traveling all around Germany and WiFi is sadly not guaranteed (how will I live without my Tumblr??). I'll try to update when I can and try to stick to my regular schedule (every three days) but it might not happen. Also my mom and Oma are Republicans (my mom is pretty open minded but possibly transphobic and I haven't seen my Oma in a while so I have no idea how she is). We're going to spend like a week and a half together. I'm extremely liberal and also a lesbian so this trip will be interesting, to say the least. It'll be fun, though (that's my optimism kicking in)!
> 
> Thank you for your comments and kudos! Stay awesome!


	19. Chapter 19

“Carm? What’s wrong?” Laura asks, reaching out. She lightly grasps my arms, trying to be comforting.

My mouth opens and closes, but no words come out. Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit. I try to find an excuse that won’t worry her and find none. But then I remember that video that Ginger One showed us.

“Uh, its fine Laura, really.” She doesn’t look convinced. Time for plan B. “I think there might have been someone in the background in the video that broke the ginger scientist.”

Laura’s eyes widen and I recognize what I affectionately call her “Louis Lane” expression. She’s in journalism mode.

“I’ll pull up the video on my laptop,” I murmur.

Laura nods and follows me to the desk. “We’ll need to warn whoever that person is about Perry/the Dean and suggest that they don’t hurt her or you’ll eat their face.” I raise an eyebrow at her as I wait for my computer to start up. “I’m protective of my friends. Plus, Perry hasn’t done anything wrong. Not willingly, anyway. She’s innocent in all of this.”

“I agree cupcake. Ginger Two might be crazy, but she isn’t capable of doing any of that.”

I type in the password and pull up the internet, easily finding the video. I press play and we watch it all the way through. 

Those last few seconds crack my heart open too wide for it to be ever sewn shut by my shaky hands again. 

She’s alive? Oh gods, she’s alive?

Laura says something but I’m lost and I can’t decipher what she’s saying. She grabs me and pulls me up into her arms. I nestle closer to her and realize I must have been shouting. Laura makes soothing noises through the sounds of the both of us sobbing.

“Mattie’s alive,” I whisper when we’ve calmed down enough for coherent speech. “She’s alive.”

“I’m glad she is.” Laura admits, burying her face in my shoulder. “The first thing I’m going to say to Mattie is that I’m sorry. I seriously thought she was the one doing those horrible things.”

“I know.” I stroke her hair, trying to be calming. She snuggles closer to me and my breath hitches. Stupid feelings. “I know. Hey, Xena’s alive, too.”

Laura looks up at me with pleading eyes. “You’ll help her, right? You’ll help her get out of there? And maybe help her adjust to her…”

“Newfound vampirism? Don’t worry too much creampuff, I can do that. I might not like her, but this is difficult for everyone. And with her self-righteousness and reckless bravery, not to mention her whole vampires are scum attitude, will make it much more difficult. She might be able to help Mattie get out of wherever she is.”

“She’s probably under the floor boards.” Laura suggests. 

Ah, right. With the spell to revive Xena, Mother might have revived Mattie as well if she was under or near Xena.

“Maybe. We’ll have to skype her.”

Laura perks up and sits down on my desk chair. “Good idea! Let’s do it!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter coming to you from Germany! I would have written this chapter yesterday, but I thought it might be of higher quality now because I was running on less than an hour of sleep! So hopefully it's okay. The plane ride was 8 or 9 hours long overnight and I can't sleep on planes, so that was fun. 
> 
> And let me tell you, it's difficult to explain to a woman that yes this is the line for the bathroom when you don't speak German and she doesn't speak English. Fun times. 
> 
> There's a woman that works at the front desk of the hotel I'm staying at who looks pretty much exactly like the girl who plays Supergirl. With the glasses and everything.
> 
> But the best part of this vacation (not being sarcastic here it's great) is the fact that my oma (grandma) doesn't know (to my knowledge) that I'm a lesbian and my mom has been making subtle "my daughter's gay" jokes that my oma (grandma) doesn't pick up on. It's fucking hilarious
> 
> Thanks for reading and stay awesome!


	20. Chapter 20

“Hey Danny are you alone?” Laura whispers to the computer.

“Yeah I think Perry’s gone somewhere else for a while to do… What’s up with her? She’s even more intense than usual but she seems a lot more calm and collected. And she doesn’t seem to care much about violence and messes. Does she really miss LaFontaine that much?” Danny rambles. 

She must be feeling thirsty, especially if Kirsch is still in there. That must have been Maman’s intent, to keep her in there. Clifford won’t leave. Her fear of harming a human will keep her there, and Puppy is probably unconscious with dried blood on his neck, which is definitely not good for her self-control. 

“That’s not Perry.” I say. Danny gives me a confused and skeptical look. “Well, she is Perry but she isn’t. The Dean is possessing her.” 

She snarls and turns, vibrating with anger. “I’ll kill her.”

“Don’t even think about it Xena.” I drawl and she glares, bristling. “Perry’s still in there. She’s innocent in all of this. Is it really worth killing Perry on the off chance that it will kill my Mother?”

“No,” she grumbles.

“I thought not, so calm down. I need you to do something.” Danny snorts at that but listens, probably because she can see Laura hovering in the background. “Go into where Laura was hiding us. I know that you know where it is. It’s pretty small but you should be able to pull Mattie out.”

“Shit, is she alive?”

“I think so. When Maman made you undead, she might have accidentally revived Mattie, too. Bring her up. I want to talk to her.”

The Giantess is frozen in the seat, her face pale. “I knew it. I knew it. I’m a fucking vampire.”

“Join the club,” Laura says, resting her head on my shoulder. She glances at me and grins.

She glances between us back and forth before it clicks in her head. “What the fuck, Karnstein, you turned Laura?” Danny roars.

“Do you think I would have if I’d had any other choice?” I shout over her outrage. “She was poisoned, and no antidote to that poison exists that we could get our hands on in time. It was turn her or let her die.” I quiet my voice and look Danny straight in the eyes. “You would have done the same thing if you were in my shoes.”

“Guys, I’m actually here.” Laura huffs. “Don’t worry, Danny, I told her it was okay before I passed out. Plus I love turning into my animal.” She perks up and I watch her out of the corner of my eye with what I’m sure is a soft expression. “Guess what? I’m a lioness!”

“Animal?”

“Maman blocked my transformation, too.” I reassure her. Laura must be rubbing off on me. I’m turning… nice. Eugh. “It can’t be blocked forever. Once you’re out from under her influence, you’ll be able to transform just fine. And once you get Mattie, I’ll tell you how to get to the ginger nerd.”


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly longer chapter :)

When Mattie comes on screen, dragged by an impatient Clifford I feel like I can breathe again. I take in a ragged breath and Laura puts her hand on my back. She keeps it there, a constant pressure keeping me grounded. Her thumb rubs soothing circles and I relax.

“What the hell, Kitty why would you send the idiot that killed me to get me?” Mattie snaps. She’s okay.

“Everyone else is busy. Besides, you know what she is now. We can’t turn our backs on her.”

Mattie groans, glaring at Danny, who fidgets. Vampires can tell when someone is older and more powerful than them. A trait I wish sometimes that humans could have. “I hate it when you’re nice. I always end up either taking care of your broken hearted self or some dimwit you feel pity for.”

“You always agree; you always help.” I point out gently.

“I know. I can’t resist helping out my little monster, no matter how foolish I may find the task. What’s with the munchkin?” Mattie leans forward. “She looks… different.” She studies Laura for a tense second before she sits back. “No. You didn’t. I know you, Kitty. You’ve never turned anyone. Not any of your past flings. What on earth possessed you to turn this one?”

“Maman’s poison,” I say bluntly.

Mattie frowns, “Ah. And there was no other way for her to survive, especially when Mother kept her antidote under lock and key. Where are you? Why couldn’t you come get me instead of this overgrown redhead?” 

“I’m at the cabin with Laura. I’ll help you get everyone out of there, but you have to follow my instructions. I know you don’t like following orders, Matska, but now you need to. Alright?”

“Fine. What do I have to do?”

“See Kirsch on the floor? Bring him with you and keep Xena away from him before she really kills him. You’ll have to go through the tunnels to get out. They are controlled by the library, but they should let you out. You’ll see the ginger scientist, LaFontaine, on the way. They’re okay so they don’t need to be carried like Kirsch does, just take them with you. You should know where my cabin is. Make sure Danny doesn’t eat anyone.”

“That’s a lot of work, Kitty. You know I’m not one for manual labor.”

“Perry’s possessed by the Dean, so I’d hope you value your life and freedom more than being lazy.”

“I knew there was something off about her. Why aren’t we just killing her?”

Danny snarls and I cut her off. “No. We’ll find a way to kill Mother without killing the human.”

“You’re a lot more optimistic now.” Mattie says before she signs off.

I turn to Laura. She hasn’t spoken once during that entire conversation. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s just… I’m worried about LaF and Kirsch. I might not be able to control myself, and Danny might be able to either. Mattie’s alive and still terrifying as usual and I’m slightly concerned that she’ll murder us all and I think the only reason she hasn’t is because of you. Not to mention I’m a vampire and oh god, dad’s going to kill me and-”

“Hey. Laura, Laura, Laura.” I reach out and grab her shoulders, holding her at arms’ length. “It’s going to be okay. Mattie and I will be here to run interference if either of you lose control. We’ll save Perry. You being you won’t allow anything less. Your dad will understand eventually. Everything’s going to be okay.”

Laura gently removes my hands and then rushes forward, wrapping me in a hug. “Thanks, Carm.” She murmurs and I swear my heart melts a little bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This chapter comes to you from Germany! Probably the last chapter I'll post while I'm here, but I honestly don't know my schedule (a running joke in my family is that I not only go with the flow, but I am the flow). But I'll try to be on time :D 
> 
> Let me know what you think! Criticism (whether positive or not) is always greatly appreciated!! Also, human Kirsch or vampire Kirsch?? Anonymous comments are on if you don't have an account (or if you don't want me to know who commented, that's fine too). So hopefully that works... 
> 
> Also, 4,000 views and 130 kudos??? You people are incredible!! Stay awesome!


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early chapter AND it's slightly longer than normal! Enjoy!

I don’t know how long we both stand there for with Laura in my arms. I’m too content to move away and she’s… I’m not exactly sure. She’s been through a lot, not to mention that she’s now undead, so I don’t know what she’s thinking. I never really have; that’s one of the many things about Laura that absolutely fascinate me. But what I’ve seen, what she’s showed me, are all parts of her and therefore beautiful. Nothing, no matter how bad, could negate the breath-taking radiance that is Laura. She is a ball of sunshine in an obscure universe.

Laura pulls back; her hands still on my waist and my arms are resting on her shoulders, my hands linked behind her neck. My eyes drop to her lips that are slightly parted in what I recognize as her realization expression.

“Where’s everyone going to sleep?” She questions. I smile, the gentle one I reserve only for her, and laugh quietly. Laura frowns at me, “What?”

“Sorry, cutie.” I manage to stop laughing, but being this close to her keeps the smile on my face. “It just reminds me of what you said after we first kissed.” I make my eyes comically wide and do my best Laura impression. “‘So you’re a giant black cat, huh?’”

She pouts at me, “I do not sound like that.”

“Yes you do.” 

Laura swats my side gently before putting her hand back on my hip. “Can you at least answer my question? We can’t all fit on that tiny bed.”

“I wasn’t exactly expecting guests, sweetheart.” I ponder for a moment. “The humans can take the bed and I can curl up on the floor near it to make sure Xena doesn’t decide to have a fresh midnight snack. You can join me, if you want. But I think I’m going to grab some mattresses from a nearby town.”

“Carm!” She looks at me with wide eyes. “You can’t just steal people’s mattresses!”

“Sure I can. But that’s not what I meant. There’s a store there that I can buy them from.”

“Oh.” Laura blushes. “Uh, sorry for assuming. I just-”

“It’s fine.” I cut off the ramble before it can fully start. She doesn’t look convinced. “I promise.”

Laura nods, “Do you want me to come with? I can help you carry stuff now.”

“There are a lot of delicious smelling humans there full of blood. I don’t know if you can control yourself; you are still pretty new to the whole vampire thing.”

“Alright.” I can tell Laura’s trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

“There is one thing we could do. I have to warn you, it’s not exactly pleasant.”

“Is it painful?” I shake my head. “Then that’s fine, do it.”

I go to the cupboard and pull something out, making sure to be fast so she can’t see what it is. 

“Sorry about this.” I grimace and cover my nose and wave the open deerskin pouch (made it myself. I went through the vampiric version of rebel teenage years and tried to live on my own in the woods for a few years before Mother needed me again) under her nose.

She stumbles back, clutching her nose and groaning. I hold my breath and close the pouch, putting it in the pocket of my leather jacket for later, just in case. 

“What the Hufflepuff was that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not the best place to end, but hey, Laura being cute seemed good enough for me :D
> 
> In case you were wondering, the chapter's out early (usually I'd write and post it tomorrow, y'know, every three days and such) because I'm headed home tomorrow! Looking forward to five days of homework to catch up on (groans)
> 
> On another note, I got hugged by an old man today (not in a creepy way, though, so bonus). I've stayed at this hotel in Rothenburg an astounding 4 times in my 16 year life (and I can even remember them all vaguely). It's the Burg hotel (recommended by me, trust me it's pretty nice) and it's been family owned for a long time. It was his grandfather's, his father's, his, and now his daughter's. But when we were leaving the hotel for the last time (sniff) he came up and hugged us (he was my mom and grandmother's favorite thing about the hotel, despite them both being married with children). Anyway, just a nice story about my life adventures for you guys!
> 
> The response to human Kirsch or vampire Kirsch was unanimously human, so that's going to be a thing!
> 
> Thank you for reading and the kudos! Stay awesome!


	23. Chapter 23

“Smelling salts. The odor is so pungent that it should block your sense of smell.” I say.

Laura coughs, grimacing as she lowers her hand from her face. “It worked.”

“Yeah, I apologize for not warning you.”

She flaps her hand dismissively. “I told you to do it.”

“I did it without fully informing you of what you were getting into.” I argue. This isn’t about the smelling salts anymore.

“Maybe not, but Carm it’s you. I trust you with my life and I know you would never intentionally hurt me. It was the only way for me to survive.” Laura reminds me. She picked up on that, of course. My little journalist. Minus the mine part. I fucked that up.

My face crumples and I feel tears burning in the back of my eyes. Stupid feelings. “I just don’t know what I’d do without you, cupcake.” I murmur. 

“Let’s try not to find out, then. Come on; let’s go get mattresses that we are not stealing.” Laura gives me a hard look and I salute her sarcastically, giving her my famous smirk.

“Of course not, cutie. The one advantage of having Mother was the infinite amount of money she has. She bought her own bank to store it all.”

“Whoa. And she just lets you use however much you want?” 

“Your mouth is hanging open.” She quickly shuts it, blushing. “But pretty much, yeah. Money wasn’t really a big deal to her.” I shrug. “Besides, isn’t your dad rich?”

“He just is very good at what he does.” Laura says defensively. 

“What does he do?” I ask, handing her a small bag of blood to tide her over until we get back. “You never told me.”

“He started Hollis Security.”

Now my jaw’s the one that’s dropped. “John Hollis is your dad? I thought at most he was your uncle or something. New York Times dubbed him ‘the other Bill Gates’.”

“Um, yeah that’s my dad. Why do you think he’s so paranoid? He hears about bad people all the time and protects good people from them. Dad told me once that he hears about one of his employees getting hurt or killed every other day, or twice weekly if they’re lucky. The worst one was when a high profile client decided to go hiking. The client and the bodyguard were horribly maimed by a bear.” She pauses and chugs her blood like it’s one of her grape sodas. “He was called in to identify what was left of the bodyguard. Ever since, he’s made sure that I have bear spray.”

I nod; taking it in and holding the door open for her. “Are you ready? You can stay here in the cabin if you aren’t.”

Laura reaches out to grab my hand as we walk out into the sunlight. “You’ll be with me the entire time; I’ll be okay.”

I squeeze her hand, a soft smile lighting up my face. “We’ll have to move quickly, creampuff. They’ll be here soon enough.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Background on Laura?? Weird, I didn't plan that :D  
> Thank you wonderful humans for reading and stay awesome!


	24. Chapter 24

“We’ll have to get food for your human friends,” I muse as we walk through the forest.

It’s a nice day; there are clouds in the sky blocking out the sun so it won’t hurt or agitate Laura. There are birds chirping happily, which brings a smile to her face. No animals come near us. They can sense what most humans can’t; they can tell we’re unnatural. I spoke to a tiger once when one of the women I was supposed to seduce dragged me to a zoo. Me talking to a big cat like it could understand me (which it could) scared off the girl, luckily for her.

But Tigress (she insisted on me calling her that instead of the horrid name the zoo called her. Who names a tiger Clawdia? It’s insulting and not funny when that’s your name) did say that my kind feels off to her, makes her uncomfortable and not want to be by me. However, she was in a zoo in a small cage so she had to be near me. Once she told me that, Tigress begged me to either set her free or kill her.

I will admit that I have a soft spot for big cats, so I couldn’t kill her. I gave the zoo an absurd amount of money and ordered them to make their “enclosures” larger and took Tigress to India (since she’s a Bengal Tiger). I stayed with her as long as I could (sadly, only a couple weeks. Mother was furious) and helped her settle in to her new home. That was almost… forty years ago now. I went back once and she introduced me to her son. Hopefully Bagheera’s doing okay.

“Hey.” Laura says, gently touching my arm. “Where’d you go just then?”

I give her a small smile. “Sorry cutie, I was just remembering a tiger. She’s probably dust and bones now.”

“Wait an actual tiger?” Laura’s eyes widen.

“Yeah, her name was Tigress. I’ll tell you about her sometime.” Laura looks disappointed and pouts. She’s so adorable. “I would now but we’re at town. We’ll head to the mattress store first, then the gas station for food and cookies and then the hospital for more blood.”

“Cookies?” She brightens and her steps are lighter as she steps forward and hugs me. I just shrug, trying to hide my grin by ducking my head. It doesn’t work of course because my hair’s up in a bun. Laura’s beaming back at me and steps backwards, grabbing my hand. “Come on then, let’s hurry. I want cookies!”

Laura sounds so joyful and so young in this moment that I can feel myself falling in love with her all over again. And for some reason it’s not as terrifying as it was before because it’s Laura, the determined journalist with a nerdy side. The gorgeous human that sacrificed her morals for me. It’s her. Sure, I’m scared. I’ve never felt anything like this. But I love Laura Hollis with every fiber of my being and that makes the fear fade away until it’s a tiny gnawing voice in the back of my head. It tells me nothing I don’t already know. 

She has no reason to feel the same way about me, but gods do I wish she does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That chapter took me a lot longer than I expected... I spent like half an hour researching tigers and names zoos choose for tigers. :D Luckily I do love learning about big cats (I mean they're giant cats that could murder you with one swipe of their claws. What's not to love?), though I did spend a few years obsessed with wolves... 
> 
> Also, you got to see how random my mind is! I like explaining things and trying to figure out why stuff happens, which is one of the reasons Laura was talking about her dad and the whole Hollis Security thing. In the book, she lived in a schloss, which is basically a fancy word for castle. I stayed in one in Germany that they converted into a hotel and holy fuck it was big and awesome. So I concluded that they're rich. Plus in the book, her dad got the money from working in the military (maybe. I haven't read it for like six months or something), so security isn't that far off from that...
> 
> See, more explaining random things. Anyways, that's where the whole inner monologue about Tigress came from. I wanted to explain how Carmilla knew animals knew that she's unnatural. 
> 
> I do promise that future chapters probably will be more exciting. Probably.
> 
> If you're still reading this note, props to you and my apologies for its randomness and length. :) Thank you once again for reading and stay awesome!


	25. Chapter 25

Getting a mattress and sheets? Easy. Getting it back to the cabin? …I did not think this through.  
Sure, I’m a vampire with super strength and speed, but even in my undeath the mattress is large and awkward. Laura’s carrying the blankets and such to keep the frail humans from freezing to death.  
I shift the mattress in my arms, trying to make holding it less awkward and fail. I huff, “I can’t get into a store carrying this. Let’s drop this stuff off at the cabin and come back for the rest.”  
“Sure, Carm. Are you sure you’re okay carrying that? I can help.” Laura offers.

I shake my head stubbornly. The rest of the walk back is silent, except for my cursing in various languages when I drop the giant mattress. Though I only did drop it twice during the entire trek, so ten points to Slytherin. I grimace and groan internally. I’ve been spending too much time with Laura (that’s not possible); she’s rubbing off on me. I can never tell her that I read the books and I probably should mention sometime that I met JK Rowling once, but then the journalist side of Laura will come out full force. 

I drop the mattress on the floor in a space I usually keep empty because I like to curl up there. Hopefully Mattie won’t mind sleeping on it. She’s slept in worse places, but after a few years with Maman you get used to the luxury (and constant fear).

Laura drops the bedding on the mattress. “Why didn’t you get an air mattress? It would have been easier to carry up here.”

“Have you ever heard the noise the machine makes when it blows up an air mattress? It spooks vampires, especially newborns. It sounds sort of similar to some weapons technology or something. I’m not exactly sure why. But I’d prefer not to have you and Xena agitated and alarmed.”

Laura smiles, “Thanks for thinking of Danny and I.”

“Never mention it.” I say, only slightly joking. Big Red would never let me live it down.

Laura laughs and I can feel my entire body relax at the sound. She grabs my hand, pulling me out the door and towards town. 

Getting the blood is even easier than I expected. The head guy was ecstatic to see me again so soon and gave us each a plastic bag full of blood bags. They’re not cheap plastic bags, either. They’re at least sturdy enough to easily carry roughly ten pints of blood and its thick enough that no humans will have a heart attack if they look closely.

We head to the grocery store/gas station (it’s a pretty small town) and Laura interlaces our fingers again. I can’t help grinning shyly.

Something doesn’t feel right, however. I look up from her and immediately see the cause of my unease. There’s a man in an expensive business suit filling up his black SUV (it even has tinted windows).

“Laura.” I murmur. She looks at me, immediately serious and concerned. “See that man over there? He’s not from around here. No one comes here unless they’re from Silas or have a death wish. We’ll have to keep an eye out for him.”

Laura squints, confusion making her nose crinkle cutely. Recognition makes her eyes go wide and she runs toward him, beaming. I sprint after her, careful not to go too fast. I don’t want any more torches and pitchforks.

The man turns around, hearing our footsteps. His arms open wide and Laura hugs him tightly.

“Daddy!” Laura squeals happily as he picks her up and swings her around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There! It's even a bit longer than normal. I think this is a good chapter ending... I have mapped out what I'm going to do the next chapter or two, but I have no idea where this is going. That's the fun part :D   
> Poppa Hollis wasn't originally going to be part of the story but I got the idea after I wrote chapter 23 and thought "why not?"  
> I'm hoping season 3 of Carmilla will have him in it... Learning more about Laura's background would be great! (Fingers STILL crossed for season 3. Where's our announcement? Are they waiting till the 100 comes back or until the actors and actresses have time to shoot a video? Hopefully it'll be announced soon. I don't like waiting for things like this D:)  
> Thank you guys again for reading and stay awesome!


	26. Chapter 26

“Hey, sweetheart.” The man chuckles.

I’m standing in the background, a few feet from them. I know there’s probably no danger (he’s Laura’s father), but my body’s still tense. Laura turns to me suddenly like she’s just remembering that I’m here. She looks back at her father, grinning.

“Dad, this is my girlf- This is Carmilla.” Laura flushes, glancing at my shyly out of the corner of her eye.

I step forward and extend my hand. He takes it and smiles kindly at me (I can see where Laura gets hers from). “The vampire.”

I freeze, my heart in my throat. How does he know…? We’re shaking hands still, my muscles moving automatically. He lets go and Laura moves so she’s by my side.

“I watched Laura’s videos.” He answers my silent question.

I reach for Laura’s hand. Shit, does he know that I turned her? We exchange panicked looks. She certainly hasn’t mentally prepared herself for telling her dad yet. I glance down at the plastic bags I’m carrying full of blood. There are so many ways this could go wrong. He hasn’t staked me yet, so that’s hopefully a good sign.

“I haven’t been able to watch in a while.” Mr. Hollis continues, not picking up on Laura and I’s dread. Now I know where she got her annoyingly adorable obliviousness from. “The last one I saw had you saving Carmilla and killing Vordenberg.”

Laura’s shoulders slump and her lip quivers. She looks like she’s just waiting for him to scold her. I draw myself up, ready to defend what she’s done. I understand that she did it for me.

Well no, that’s not true. I know she did it for me, but I don’t understand. Why? Why save me after everything? I know she misses me, but that doesn’t mean she loves me or wants to get back together. That slip up earlier with her almost calling me her girlfriend, it makes something that feels terrifyingly close to hope spark in my chest. After centuries, I have learned that hope is essential but for me, it’s never done any good. I was hopeful with Ell. I was hopeful when I was in that wretched coffin, hopeful for an escape. I was hopeful when I finally got out of that coffin. I was hopeful about Laura and I’s relationship. It doesn’t turn out well.

But hope doesn’t explain why Laura saved me. I was her first true girlfriend, maybe it was sentimentality. Sentimentality doesn’t make someone throw away their morals and beliefs for just one person. I just don’t understand, and I know I might never be able to.

“I’m so sorry.” Mr. Hollis says with a distraught expression. “I’m so sorry you had to do that, Princess. I should’ve headed up sooner.”

A lone tear escapes Laura’s eyes and she hugs her father with one arm, not letting go of my hand. 

“No offense, sir, but why are you here?” I ask.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Was Carmilla being slightly rude, interrupting the Hollis squared hug like that? Maybe. Does Carmilla care? Definitely. But curiosity killed the cat (its a joke. Get it? No?). But why is Poppa Hollis all the way near Silas? The mystery continues... :D
> 
> I had a weirdly great day today, so I'm in a bit of a weird mood (can you tell from reading the first paragraph? I can). Anyway! Thank you amazing humans for reading and stay awesome!!!


	27. Chapter 27

Mr. Hollis looks up at me from his hug with his daughter. “To see if my little girl’s okay, of course. And to help in any way I can. I may not be supernatural, but I have read many ancient and reliable books. I’ll need you to fill me in, but I hope I will have information that could be useful. Where are you girls staying?”

“My cabin,” I respond. Laura and Mr. Hollis break their hug, her smiling at him like he’s made her day. Which I’m sure he has. His eyes linger suspiciously on the space (or lack of) between Laura and me. “It’s going to get pretty crowded soon.”

Mr. Hollis’ eyebrows raise. “It’s just the two of you in there right now? Alone?” He pointedly looks at how close we are again.

Laura blushes. “It’s not like that, Dad.”

“I’m sure it isn’t.” He winks at Laura. “I’ll let you two get what you need in there while I get my gear from my car.”

Mr. Hollis walks back to his car. Laura lets out a breath, relaxing slightly and her nose wrinkling. 

“Carm? I think the salt is wearing off,” she says in a panicked voice. “Dad smells better than my favorite chocolate chip cookies, which I didn’t know is possible and I really don’t want to lose control and bite my dad and-”

“Cupcake.” I cut her off; squeezing her hand in what I hope is a comforting gesture. “I brought the smelling salts with me. You’ll be fine.”

She breathes out a sigh of relief. “Okay, do it quickly, please. My eyes feel weird.” Laura looks at me and I grimace slightly, noticing how her eyes are turning silver. I pull the salts from my leather jacket and wave them under her nose. She coughs, her face screwing up in the cutest way and rubs her nose. “I forgot how weird it feels at first.”

“We’ll work on your self-control later, okay? Right now we need to get stuff from the grocery store.” 

Laura nods and we walk hand in hand into the gas station/grocery store. She doesn’t let go, dragging me down the aisles while I carry a basket in my other hand. We periodically throw stuff in. I’m trying not to think about how my arm might be pulled out of its socket (Laura is new at all this; she doesn’t know her strength) when Laura squeals happily, making a few bored looking shoppers look our way. 

“Carm, look! They have an entire aisle dedicated to snack food!” Laura lets go of my hand and walks down the aisle, grinning widely at the surprisingly wide variety of junk food.

“Get whatever you want, cutie.”

Laura turns back to me, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah, just don’t put the entire aisle in our basket.”

Laura smiles at me, her entire face lighting up. She dances over to me and kisses my cheek before scurrying all over and taking down big bags of pretzels and crackers and cookies and donuts. If she isn’t a vampire, I’d worry about her teeth rotting. 

I press a hand to my cheek where she kissed it, an automatic shy smile on my face. It feels like semester one all over again. 

By the time Laura’s finished, her arms are full of snacks. “I don’t think this will fit in the basket, Carm.”


	28. Chapter 28

Laura’s POV

“You’ll just have to carry it over to the check-out, cutie.” Carmilla says. There’s a faint blush on her cheeks and she keeps raising her free hand to lightly touch one of her cheeks. I feel my face grow hot when I remember that I kissed her there. Real subtle, Hollis.

“I can carry them home with my new super muscles.” I flex with a dorky smile on my face and Carm laughs.

“You’re going to turn your pretzels to dust if you keep doing that.”

I glance down to see that I broke some of the pretzel sticks. “Oops.”

Carmilla shakes her head and herds me towards the check-out area. There’s an old lady that bags our things and takes Carm’s money, managing to look like she’d rather be eaten by a dinosaur than here the entire time.

“Have a good day.” She says in a monotone voice.

“That woman looked as bored as I was when you made me binge-watch Disney movies.” Carmilla snarks.

I stick out my tongue. “Oh, hush. I know you liked them. I saw you cry during Lion King.”

Carmilla gasps sarcastically. “I did no such thing.” I give her an unimpressed look and she relents. “You can’t prove anything, creampuff.”

“I think people will believe me. I wonder how LaF would react.” I trail off, grinning at her.

“They would laugh so hard they’d blow up their experiment.” 

I nod. That probably would happen, though it might just blow up anyways. 

“Hey, girls!” Dad yells.

I turn my attention to him and smile. He has his giant navy blue camping backpack (that’s almost as big as me… I’m not tiny it’s just big) and two bags hanging off of each arm. 

“Hey, Dad.” 

“Did you get enough snacks?” He glances meaningfully at the large number of bags in my arms.

“I certainly hope so, sir.” Carmilla says, holding out her free hand to offer to carry some of my father’s bags.

“I can carry it all.” Dad assures her.

Carmilla just raises an eyebrow. “No offense, but I’m a vampire with super strength. You’ll tire quickly with that much stuff. Let me carry some of it.”

Dad concedes, handing her one bag from each arm. “Thank you.”

“No problem, sir.”

We start walking, my dad and I following a few feet behind Carmilla. 

“You don’t have to call me sir, Carmilla.”

Carm glances back, her eyes meeting mine for a moment before she looks at him. “It’s an automatic habit, sir.”

Dad smiles and I shake my head, grinning. Of course she has my dad wrapped around her finger within minutes of meeting him. “It’s fine; I just want you to know that you don’t have to call me that.”

“Why is it an automatic habit?” I ask, my mind going a million miles an hour to try to figure it out. Was it something drilled into her in the 17th century? Did her Mother make her call everyone sir or ma’am?

“I recognize a fellow soldier.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter comes from me and the dog that's stayed in my lap the entire time it took me to write this chapter. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and stay awesome! :D


	29. Chapter 29

Laura’s POV

 

My jaw drops. “Hang on. Carm, you were a soldier?”  
Carmilla glances at my dad. “I assume you know about me being in a coffin.” He nods. “It was World War II that freed me from my imprisonment. I felt like I owed… something for my freedom. So I fought against the Axis Powers, more specifically the Nazis. I wasn’t fighting for any nation, just went from battle to battle where I was told I was needed. I wasn’t even officially in the war, let alone a soldier. I’m a woman and that intimidated the hell out of some soldiers. I killed the ones that attempted to prey on me.”

“Impressive.” My father says, smiling kindly. “I’m glad I have you to look after my little girl.”

I feel my face heating. “Daddy, we’re not-”

“I always will, sir. Though Laura can certainly take care of herself.”

“That she can.” Dad chuckles, glancing back and forth between us with a fond look in his eyes. We walk the rest of the way to the cabin in silence. Dad pauses for a moment when he sees it. “You two are staying in this? No offense, but it’s not very big. And you’re getting more company?” He frowns, worry clouding his expression.

“We got extra mattresses today for the others. I had this built as an escape for me, sir. That’s why it’s not big. Would you like to come in?” Carmilla offers, holding the door open for us.

“Yes, thank you. But I’ll be staying outside.” Carmilla frowns at Dad’s words. “I bring camping equipment wherever I go just in case. That’s what you’re carrying.” Dad gestures to her bags. “Actually, you could just drop them off out here. I’ll set it up later.”

“Sure.” Carmilla walks out and sets the bags down near where Dad put his down.

Dad and I follow her inside. Carm and I begin putting all the food away and I learn that she has two fridges, one for blood, one for normal food.

“That’s a lot of blood,” Dad comments. “Are you expecting more vampires?”

“Uh, yes sir. Two, maybe three more vampires.”

“Oh,” I perk up. “Are we expecting JP?”

“No, cutie. Kirsch.”

I slump, remembering how Danny nearly killed him. I’m so in the moment worrying about Kirsch that I don’t notice that she not only called me a nickname, but actually called Kirsch by his actual name.

“I hope he’s okay.” Dad remarks, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. “I’m going to set up my stuff outside. Let me know if you need me.”

He leaves, shutting the door behind him. 

“Laura.” My eyes snap up to Carmilla’s. She just called me by name, which she never does except when there’s trouble (or that night we made love until the sun came up but it can’t be that). “You know you’re going to have to tell him eventually, right?”

I sigh and she pulls me into her arms, rubbing my back soothingly. “I know, Carm. I just… I didn’t expect to have to tell him that I’m a vampire so soon. He’s my dad, you know? This will kill him. He’ll hate himself for not being here to save me. But even worse, he could hate you for turning me.” I groan and bury my head in her shoulder, ignoring the fact that I haven’t done that since we broke up. “Why is telling my dad that I’m undead and immortal harder than it was coming out to him?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas and happy holidays! I wanted to post a chapter early as a thanks for you guys being so amazing, as well as this is my Christmas present to you incredible humans. :D
> 
> My best friend thinks that Papa Hollis is shady... I will neither confirm or deny these allegations. What do you guys think? 
> 
> Thank you again for reading and for 6,000 views!!! Stay awesome!


	30. Chapter 30

Laura’s POV

Carmilla chuckles, still rubbing my back. I melt into her arms, letting myself draw comfort in her closeness. “I don’t know, creampuff. But like you said, he’s your dad. I’m sure he would want to know sooner rather than later.” I’m not convinced that telling him right now would do any good. “It’ll either be now with you and your dad and me, if you want or it’ll be quite public with the Scooby Gang coming over.”

I sigh, “I hate it when you make sense.”

“Hey.” Carmilla pulls away, placing her hands on my shoulders and looking into my eyes. My breath hitches at our closeness. Calm down, Hollis, I chide myself. Just because your hot vampire ex-girlfriend is close enough to kiss… My eyes dart down to her lips. Dammit. Keep it in your pants, Laura. “I’ll be right there if you want me to be, okay? Nothing bad is going to happen to you, sweetheart.”

We both ignore the fact that the nickname “sweetheart” doesn’t sound like something you’d call your ex.

“I’d like you to be there, Carm. And it’s not me I’m worried about.” She blinks, confused. Dang that beautiful face for always looking beautiful. “My dad has a slight tendency to… overreact. When I was really little, like first years of school little, this kid in my class accidentally hit me with his tricycle. I wasn’t hit super hard, I just had a few scratches and bruises, but my dad completely freaked out. He kept saying that recess was dangerous and then that escalated to him saying that school is dangerous and then I was home schooled until college.” 

“What I’m getting from that story is that your father is more overprotective of you than I thought. Shit, Laura, he’s going to kill me for turning you.” Carmilla runs a hand through her hair, an automatic habit she does when she’s stressed. It’s something I noticed when we were dating and found really cute (and kinda hot, her hair is awesome and I always love to run my hands through it and play with it).

“I won’t let that happen, Carm. My only other worry is me possibly biting him. I think the salts are wearing off again.”

“Then I’ll help you control your bloodlust.” I relax, smiling at her. She notices how close we are and drops her hands to her side and takes a step back, clearing her throat. “Taste the air. Can you smell his blood?”

“It smells delicious and it’s kind of freaking me out.” I respond, fighting the urge to clamp a hand over my nose to block out the smell.

“Don’t worry, that’s completely normal. Now, is it getting too much for you? Do you feel the need to drink?” Carm asks, her hand reaching out to lightly touch my wrist.

I wrinkle my nose. “Drink? As in drink him? No way, he’s my dad and human, Carm. I don’t want to drain someone.”

Her eyebrows raise, “You don’t feel the urge to sink your fangs into a throat?”

“Uh, no. Am I supposed to?”

“Wow,” Carmilla laughs softly, shaking her head. “I mean, I knew that you’re special, but cutie…”

“What, Carm?”

“You aren’t experiencing the bloodlust like most newly tuned vampires do. Now, that’s not bad, it’s just exceedingly rare.”

I bite my lip, my worries not going away. “What does that mean?”

Carmilla smiles at me and I momentarily forget how to breathe (thank TARDIS I don’t have to anymore). “It just means you’re powerful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That went a different direction than I thought it would... I thought Laura was going to tell Papa Hollis this chapter, but that'll happen soon enough. Little background on Laura? Awesome. At first I was going to have her hit by a car, and then a bike, but come on, a little Laura getting hit with a tricycle and being like "Dad I'm fine" and him saying "NO MORE SCHOOL" or something along those lines sounded so much better. Plus it kind of explains why she's so oblivious sometimes. Laura as a super awesome, powerful bad ass vampire? Sign me up.
> 
> Also, Hollstein. I definitely played it up in this chapter because why not and they're super cute together and I want a happy Hollstein in season 3 (if there is one... *pterodactyl screams*)
> 
> Anyways, thank you for reading and stay awesome!


	31. Chapter 31

Laura’s POV

“Powerful?” I inquire. “What does that mean?”

“It just means that you can learn to do things that took me decades to master in just a few years at most. As in, you could learn Mattie’s screech in a few decades instead of being my age and still not able to do it properly.”

“And it’s safe to go outside and talk to my dad?” I ask nervously.

Carmilla nods and gives me a comforting grin (that’s really a smirk, but I don’t mind). “It should be safe, for you and for him. Are you sure you want me to be with you when you tell him?”

I’m about to immediately respond yes when another thought occurs to me. “Well, yeah, but only if you want to come with.”

Carmilla just opens the door for me in response and I know that’s her way of saying that she’ll be there for me. I thank her and we walk out to where my dad has set up his tent. It’s a blue one big enough that my father can stand up all the way and not hit his head on the ceiling (he’s the tall one in the family and always teased me wondering where I got my shortness because my mother was taller too). Dad’s sitting on a stump when we walk up.

“Hey, kiddo.” He grins at me before noticing my nervous expression. “Laura, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing, Daddy. I just have to tell you something.” I shift on my feet and Carmilla reaches out and holds my hand.

“If it’s about the two of you, I already know.” Dad says in a reassuring voice. “I know you’ve had your differences in the past and I’m glad to see you’re working to get passed them.”

I frown for a moment, confused. My mouth drops open slightly to form an “o” when I realize what he was saying. My dad thinks Carmilla and I are dating again? “No, dad, that’s not it. We’re not together again.”

He just smiles knowingly at us. “So you hold hands with all of your friends?”

I feel my face flush (good thing I’m a vampire, otherwise I’d be the color of a red rose instead of just slightly pink). “Uh, no but that’s not the point.” I take a deep breath. “Dad… I’m a vampire.”

Dad just stares at me blankly like he isn’t processing what I just told him. Carmilla squeezes my hand and that movement snaps him out of his head.

He scowls at Carmilla and I feel myself standing up straighter, ready to defend her.

“You turned my daughter? What possessed you to do that to her?” He’s speaking in a terrifying tone I’ve never heard him use. “She’s young and had her whole life ahead of her and you turned her?”

I open my mouth, ready to go into a rant about how amazing she is and how much she’s done for me. Carmilla speaks before I have the chance to.

“Do you think I would’ve done this if I had ANY other choice?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And sparks fly... :)  
> Thanks for reading and stay awesome!


	32. Chapter 32

Laura’s POV

“Do you think I would’ve done this if I had ANY other choice?” Carmilla’s icy calm words are much scarier than my father practically yelling at her. She speaks with composure, but I can see the burning passion in her eyes. “My choices were to kill her with the possibility that she’ll become undead or to let her die an agonizing death. She was poisoned, Mr. Hollis, by one of my mother’s traps. It’s a unique poison that was her personal favorite. And trust me, I know its effect. At first you feel kind of off, but in a drug-like way, you wouldn’t know that you’re poisoned if you didn’t know any better. Then comes the pain. It’s so intense that you’ll beg for death. Then your body slowly starts to shut down, but in what I have been assured is the most painful way possible. There’s no cure we had access to, only my mother and her minions knew of the poison and the cure is nearly impossible to get to. Not to mention that when I explained what was happening to Laura, she told me to turn her. That, sir, is what would have happened to your daughter.”

“How do you know what happens? Did your ‘mother’ tell you?” Dad asks, crossing his arms.

“No, she didn’t. I found out myself. I was there when she tested it on humans and I happen to be the only vampire she’s used it on. We found out after the first dose that it didn’t kill what’s already been killed.”

“Oh, Carm.” I say quietly. She turns to me and I squeeze her hand gently. She didn’t deserve that. Just for falling in love… “Dad, that’s what I was going to explain before you interrupted and started yelling at her. She didn’t want to turn me. Carmilla didn’t until I told her to. She’s not a bad person, Dad.”

Dad sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “I know, honey, I know she isn’t. I’ve seen what she’s done for you, and I’ve seen what you’ve done for her. I apologize, Carmilla. I was just surprised.”

He’s smiling sheepishly at her and she sticks out her hand. They shake hands and I beam at them. It’s great to see my… best friend and my father get along.  
Carmilla turns to me. “One down, your friends to go.”

Holy David Tennant! I have to tell my friends that I’m a vampire, too! LaF knows, and Matska knows, Kirsch is going to say “bro” and “hottie” until someone punches him and Danny is going to KILL me.

I look up at Carm and my Dad. When did they get so big? I try to ask them and only a meow comes out of my mouth. I huff and Carmilla laughs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww Laura started panicking so much she turned into her little lioness again. XD  
> Thank you for reading! Happy New Year and stay awesome!


	33. Chapter 33

Carmilla’s POV

 

“What just happened?” Laura’s dad asks. His eyes are wide as he stares down as his daughter. “Laura, are you okay?”  
“She’s fine, sir.” I assure him, but he’s still panicking. “You know how I turn into a panther? She turns into a lioness. Since Laura’s newly turned, she’s small.” Laura bats my combat boots, quickly getting entranced by my shoelaces. I laugh when she pounces on my shoe. “Sorry to cut this short, but I’d like to calm her down before the others arrive. She hates being called tiny normally, but especially when she’s like this.” Laura climbs her way up my body until she sits proudly on my shoulder, purring quietly. “Careful with the claws the next time you decide to climb me, okay cupcake?”

I pointedly look down at my clothing, now ripped with tiny holes leading up to the kitten on my shoulder. Mr. Hollis sits on a stump, gesturing that it’s fine to leave. I walk back to my cabin, Laura licking my cheek in apology to ruining my clothes. 

I take her off my shoulder and put her down on the bed, hoping she won’t tear the sheets up. They’re covered in bats and cats (a present from Will, the snarky asshole) and I like it. It reminds me of him. He was one of the sorriest excuses for a Mama’s boy I’ve ever seen, but he was my brother. I’ll miss that playful, sarcastic banter. 

“Do you think you can turn back?” I ask, sitting on the ground. Laura mews, her eyes wide as she stares at me. “I’ll take that as a no. I’m sorry for stressing you out.” It’s not difficult to figure out who of her Scooby Gang she’s worried about telling. The Sasquatch is newly turned, and she’s always had a lot of emotions. This might make her snap and snap my neck. I won’t let her, though. I know Laura would be a little upset if I die. “The Jolly Green Giant will get over it, cutie.”

Laura looks slightly relieved (still stressed, though. I could think of a thing or two to help her destress but I don’t think she’d be too receptive to my ideas), which is at least an improvement. 

I yawn. It’s been a long day, and fighting with my ex-girlfriend’s father took more out of me than I thought it would.

Laura crouches down on the bed and launches herself at me. My sight is blocked by her body and there’s fur in my mouth. I take the little lioness off my face and set her down, spitting out her fur as best I can. She curls up against me, clearly as ready as I am to finally sleep. I stretch, smiling when I get an idea.

I shift and curl myself around Laura, hoping my body heat will protect her against the cold winds that aren’t quite blocked by the cabin’s walls. She squirms for a moment, getting comfortable. She stops moving, snuggling into me. I find myself purring as I fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww... I love Hollstein cuteness. There'll be more where that came from (eventually).  
> Thanks for reading and stay awesome!


	34. Chapter 34

Carmilla’s POV

I wake up suddenly, my sleep interrupted by an odd sound I can only describe as a “meep”. I crack one eye open to see LaFontaine clutching their heart.

“Sorry. I forgot how big your cat is.” I just stare at them. “It’s so cool and fluffy! Do you think I can take hair and blood samples?” I give them my if-you-come-near-me-or-Laura-with-a-needle-it-will-end-up-in-your-eye-socket glare. They’re smart; they get the message. “Okay, no hair and blood samples.” They pause and look around the room, their brow furrowing. “Where’s Laura? Is she okay?” I move my body slightly, revealing the tiny lioness that’s nestled into my side. “Aww, she’s so cute and little.”

Mattie bursts in at that moment, carrying Kirsch and dragging a pissed off looking Danny by a leash.

“Why do I let you drag me into these things, Kitty?” Mattie sighs, dropping the Puppy on the bed. He’s still out somehow and snoring loudly. I feel Laura starting to stir. “I have been surrounded by dirt and insects and things I never want to think about and these numbskulls for hours. Only for my little monster would I go through that torture.”

Danny’s glaring at me (I have a sneaking suspicion she’s trying to light me on fire). She stops, “Where’s Laura?” Xena takes a step towards me. “What did you do with her, you leech?”

LaFontaine is wrapped up in Laura’s adorableness and picks her up. That fully wakes her up and she mews in protest. I turn back and get ready to deal with Clifford. Laura’s in good hands (quite literally). 

“You do realize that if I’m a leech, you are too? And Laura?” Danny deflates, but still glares and looks concerned. I point to the lioness cub that the Ginger Nerd is cooing at. “There she is.”

Laura’s staring at LaFontaine, seemingly unimpressed at their affection. 

“Laura?” Danny says quietly, staring at the lioness. 

Laura turns her head, looking at her. She meows happily, her tiny paws moving like she’s trying to walk over to her. She slumps when she remembers that she’s still being held up by LaFontaine. They put her on the floor and I crouch down.

“Hey, cupcake. Focus on calming yourself, think of something that makes you happy. Try to turn back.”

I stand up and take a few steps back, smiling proudly when I see vampire non-lioness Laura in front of me. She looks at her hands, her eyes lighting up.

“I did it!” Laura cries as she throws her arms around me. She pulls away from me, still beaming and hugs Danny. “Hey! I’m glad you’re okay.”

“What am I, chopped liver?” Ginger One grumbles. Laura parts from Danny (who’s still on a leash. It’s a pretty amusing sight) and hugs them. 

Laura returns to my side, which makes LaF waggle their eyebrows suggestively and makes Danny frown. “Mattie, why is Danny attached to a leash?” Laura asks.

“She killed me. And frankly I don’t trust her as far as the mad scientist can throw her. I’m keeping an eye on her.” Mattie narrows her eyes at Laura. “Perhaps I should be keeping an eye on you. After all, you did tell her how to kill me and you killed Vordenberg. And now you’re a vampire. I can’t wait to see what chaos you cause next.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thank you all for reading my story! I just noticed this has 7k reads and 229 kudos, so thank you! Hope you have a great weekend and stay awesome!


	35. Chapter 35

Carmilla’s POV

I speak up before Laura can retort. I’ve been around Mattie when she’s been in a similar mood and it always ends with someone being her literal captive audience or with her viciously murdering someone. And when she’s in that state, it’s difficult to calm her down. “Laura’s dad is here.”

LaFontaine perks up, “Papa Hollis? Awesome! I have a few ideas about new weapons and surveillance technology.”

“Laura’s father is…” Mattie trails off, gesturing to me.

“He’s that Hollis. He started the security company.” I explain.

“Wait you know who my dad is just from that?” Laura questions.

“I haven’t been living under a rock.”

I can see Laura getting into a defensive stance. Challenging my sister never ends well. “We just got more blood. I’m sure you’re all hungry.”

Mattie scowls at Danny. “This one…” she pulls on the leash, making Danny gag before glaring at her. “Decided the ginger looked tasty and tried to bite them. That’s when I put this leash on her. So feeding her might keep her from draining your pets. For a little while, anyway.”

I guess I’ll have to sleep at the foot of the mattress we got for LaFontaine and Kirsch to make sure Xena doesn’t decide to have a midnight snack. I get blood from the fridge, handing one to Danny and Mattie before going back and getting more. I hand one to Laura and open the other fridge with my free hand. 

“Hey Dr. Frankenstein. There’s food in here if you’re hungry.”

LaFontaine grins at me. “Man, you are so whipped. You’re being so considerate and thoughtful.”

I give them a hard look. “I will slam your head in the fridge door.”

They nod, “Shutting up now.” They move past me and look through the contents. “There is so much sugar in here, Hollis. How do you not have scurvy?”

“There’s fruit in there!” Laura protests. 

“Fruit snacks, maybe.” They tease her. I open the doors to the cabinets. There’s two stuffed full of the junk food Laura picked up (she even hid a container of cookies under the sink but she doesn’t think I know about that) and then one full of everything from apples to oranges. “Oh. Nice job getting her to get healthy stuff, Karnstein.” 

“As lovely as this is, what are we supposed to do now?” Mattie asks. “The Dean is possessing one of your little friends and there’s still the giant fish god in the hole to worry about. Not to mention the fact that Mother’s obsessed with the gates, whatever that is.”

“I’m surprised you aren’t running back to your Mother with your tail between your legs.” Danny growls at Mattie.

“As much as I despise almost everyone in this room, I don’t like to think what Maman would do if she got what the gates are hiding. That would be Armageddon, apocalyptic. Whatever it is, if she’s this determined to get what’s in it, it has to be powerful.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo so I've decided I'm going to be putting this on Wattpad as well! This will in no way interfere with me uploading new chapters here on Ao3, it just means this story will be on both sites! My username over there is the_sarcastic_dork if you want to check it out on Wattpad. The next chapter will be up in about 3 days as usual :) Thank you guys for reading and stay awesome!


	36. Chapter 36

Carmilla’s POV

I notice Laura shaking slightly at Mattie’s words. She’s stressing out about everything again. I put a hand on her shoulder. “Let’s just focus on getting through tonight, alright? We can brainstorm tomorrow.”

“Hey.” LaFontaine looks like something just occurred to them. “What about Jeep? He’s not here, is he?” They give me an accusatory gaze. “Did you forget about him?”

“No. He’s with Perry.” I say.

“She’s possessed by the Dean! Why would you leave him with her?” 

“After I contacted Xena, I contacted him. He said he wants to stay there. We can Skype him, if you want.” 

LaFontaine nods, still worried. I go over to my laptop, booting it up. LaFontaine and Laura walk over. Once I type in my password, I get up and gesture for LaFontaine to sit. A grainy picture of JP appears on the screen. From the background, I can tell he’s in the cellar Laura hid us in. 

“Why, hello.”

“Hey, Jeep. How are you doing?”

“I am alright. Miss Perry’s taken control of the campus. I’m afraid that she hasn’t been able to become Board Chair. She has been making certain I get enough blood to drink.”  
“Uh, Jeep? You know Perry’s possessed by the Dean, right?” 

“I’m quite aware of that. Miss Laura and Miss Carmilla brought the matter to my attention. Miss Perry is rather upset about your friends leaving. I’m happy to report that she has given me no indication that she would like to crush me like she did last semester.”

“Good.” LaFontaine breathes a sigh of relief. “Why do you want to stay there, anyway?”

“I am aware I could be of some assistance to you here. Miss Perry knows who I am but I seem to be safe here. She is not always here and watching me so I can sneak away and update you when I learn something of use. I also do have Miss Carmilla’s email if I find myself in a situation where speaking could be dangerous. She has also forwarded me yours in case she is ever otherwise occupied.”

“And you’re okay staying there? I don’t want you to do this just to get us information.” 

“I will be fine. Now I must go, I am hearing Miss Perry’s footsteps. I will contact you soon to assure you of my safety.” 

The screen goes black and I shut down the laptop. “See? He’s okay.”

“Thanks, Carmilla.” LaFontaine says as they stand. They rub their forehead. “After the weirdness of today, I just need to rest.”

“That’s probably best. You frail humans need your sleep.”

“Yeah, just humans, sleeps-until-two.” LaF teases.

“I’m a vampire. Go to bed.”

“Great response,” they yawn.

“You have to sleep next to the Puppy.” I point to where Kirsch is sprawled out over a queen size bed, snoring. His mouth is open and he’s snoring.

LaF just sighs and resigns themself to their fate. They crawl into the bed, half off it because they’re trying not to touch Kirsch.

I roll my eyes and move Kirsch to one side of the bed so they have more room.

“Thanks,” they mumble sleepily.

“Never mention it.”


	37. Chapter 37

Laura’s POV

Once LaFontaine’s asleep and the rest of us have drank enough blood to satisfy our thirst, Carmilla practically drags us outside.

“It’s nearly night and Xena here might freak out if the first time she shifts she’s indoors. I happen to like that cabin and don’t want anything torn to shreds.” She explains.

My dad’s outside, roasting what smells like beans over the fire. It’s almost dark and I wave to him. He waves back, noticing the others but not saying anything. I’m grateful for that. If he really has seen my videos, he knows who they are, so at least I don’t have to take time and explain that.

Carmilla leads Danny, Mattie, and I around the back of her house. We keep going for a bit until there’s a small clearing. Danny’s shaking and I walk up to Carmilla, lightly touching her arm to get her attention.

“Hey, Carm. Is Danny okay?”

“Don’t worry your pretty head too much, cupcake. Her body is finally going to shift after over a week of being unable to. She’ll be fine. Mattie, take that leash off of her.”

“If she eats someone it’s not my fault, Kitty Cat.” Mattie drawls, letting Danny free.

Danny immediately turns on Mattie, her lips curled up in a snarl. I can tell she’s about to attack, so I place myself in front of Mattie with my arms outstretched.

“Danny, no. She’s on our side.”

“Carmilla Karnstein.” Mattie says sternly. “What have you been teaching this one?”

“Not that.”

“Hey, I am defending your sister here. What’s wrong with that?” I defend.

“Absolutely nothing, cutie. Do you know what you just did?” Carm asks, walking toward me.

“Besides stopping a fight between your sister and Danny?”

“Laura.” My heart freezes at the sound of my name. Did I do something wrong? “You just teleported.”

“You can teleport.” I point out.

“Yes I can, and that is something Mattie took years teaching me how to do.”

“You really know how to pick them.” Mattie chuckles humorlessly. 

“Guys?” Danny lets out. I refocus on her. She’s shaking. “Can we talk about this later? Because I don’t know what’s happening.”

“You’re shifting, Xena. Don’t try to fight it. It’ll only make it hurt.” 

I fight a smile at her words. I’ve noticed how much nicer she’s been to my friends. I’m pretty sure she isn’t doing this for me. I think Carmilla’s genuinely starting to care about them and it warms my heart. She calms Danny down, trying to get her to relax with soothing words.

After a minute or so of talking Danny into relaxing, Carmilla turns back to Mattie and me. “We can shift now.”

The world shrinks and I notice that it doesn’t even faze me anymore. There’s a giant leopard behind me (bigger than Carmilla), which I’d bet my cookies is Mattie. Carmilla’s in her panther form again and flicks her tail at Mattie.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you like this, Little Monster. These eyes haven’t seen you since Saigon.” 

A little barking sound makes my ears perk up. We all turn to see Danny.

“Of course she’s a wolf.” Carmilla huffs, but I can see amusement sparkling in her eyes.


	38. Chapter 38

Carmilla’s POV

“I’m a wolf?” Danny’s tail starts wagging and her tongue lolls out of her mouth. “Awesome. Why are Carmilla and Mattie so big?”

“They’re older.” Laura explains.

“Hang on, Hollis. How are we talking?”

“Uh… telekinesis I think. Carm doesn’t know either.”

“It’s so weird to be small.” Clifford stares at her paws and then looks up at Laura. “Is this how you feel like all the time?”

Laura bats at her, but Danny dodges at the last second, laughing. “Hey! I’m not short!”

“I’m a foot taller than you.” Danny points out.

“That just means you’re super tall.”

“How did we stay sane while we stayed with these children?” Mattie sighs, sitting down.

“I’m sure you can remember how new and exciting the world was when you first shifted. Not to mention that energy. I’m sure they’ll wear each other out.”

“They better not try to get me to join their foolish games. I will shred them.” Mattie huffs.

Danny’s practically vibrating again and then she and Laura run off toward the forest. By listening I can tell that Laura’s chasing her but Danny’s keeping just out of reach. Xena turns the tables on her and begins chasing Laura. She escapes by climbing up a tree.

“That’s not fair, I can’t climb this!”

“You know what we could climb?” Laura asks mischievously. Oh no. “We could climb on Carmilla. Not Mattie though, only do that if you have a death wish.”

“Dying once was more than enough for me.”

I huff out a laugh at that and close my eyes. I fall asleep to the sound of their paws hitting the ground. I’m rudely awoken after what feels like minutes by two sets of tiny claws.

“I can climb her faster than you.” Laura brags, already halfway up my side.

Danny doesn’t win that race. “It’s only because you’re used to being tiny.” 

Laura lets out an angry squeak and the chase resumes.

“You didn’t even try to swat them off, Kitty. Are you losing your touch?”

“The only thing I’m losing right now is sleep.” I grumble, stretching before lying back down again. I yawn and close my eyes.

“You do know she’s not over you.” I open one eye. “Don’t give me that look, you little monster.” She affectionately hits me with her tail. “She isn’t over you, Mircalla, and I doubt she ever will be. She killed for you.”

“I didn’t ask her to.” I’m fully awake now, both eyes open and staring at my sister. 

“And I’m not saying you did. I’m just reminding you that this is the girl that gave up everything she believed in so that you weren’t murdered by dear Vordie. You’ve finally met your match, darling.” 

Her words ring in my head. My match. That’s what that fairy queen told me… that I’d meet my match. I’ve suspected that it’s Laura for a while now but that just confirms it.  
“How can she be my match if she doesn’t feel the same?”

“Haven’t you read about this? Love doesn’t mean the same thing to everyone. But it’s still love. You two are the campus’ resident star-crossed lovers. I’m certain you two will be able to work it out.”

“When did you get so wise and optimistic?”

“Must’ve been when I died again.” Mattie hits me with her tail.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some fluffy stuff before whatever happens next. Thank you for 8,000 views! Stay awesome!


	39. Chapter 39

Laura’s POV

By the time its morning, Danny and I have burned off all of that extra energy. We head back to the cabin to see that my father’s already in the kitchen, making food. 

“Hey, sweetheart. Bacon and eggs sound good to you?”

“It sounds great, dad. Thanks.” 

Dad walks over and kisses my cheek before returning to the stove. “I’m making enough for everyone. Do you know when those two will wake up?”

“LaF should be up anytime, and we don’t know when Kirsch will wake up.” 

“Is he okay?” My dad asks, concerned.

I glance pleadingly at Carmilla (I really don’t know if he’s going to be fine and Carmilla might know), who takes over. “He should be okay, sir. He’s just recovering after being bitten.”

“Did the Dean…?”

“No, that was Xena here. She had just turned and couldn’t control herself.” Carmilla turns to Danny. “Not your fault, Beanstalk.”

“Alright. Maybe he’ll wake up when he smells my bacon.” Dad says, chuckling.

I nod. “That’s how he used to get me up in the morning. He bribed me with bacon.”

“Cutie, in the time I’ve known you, you’ve always woken up from six to seven in the morning every morning.”

“And that’s how I got in the habit of waking up early.”

Carmilla and I stop talking when we hear a groan. We turn to see Kirsch getting up, yawning.

“Hey, bros.” Kirsch gives us that lopsided smile. “Why are you all staring at me like that?”

Danny runs over and hugs him. “Don’t you ever do that again, nitwit.”

Kirsch is smiling happily now and pumps his fist. “D-Bear, what’d I do? The last thing I remember is making out with you, and then everything went kind of fuzzy. That was some kiss, man.”

“You made me think you were dead.” Danny says, pulling away from him.

“Bro. Why’d you think that? I mean, you were the one that was dead. And then Perry got kinda scary and said gibberish and the bam! You were alive again. It was like some freaky Frankenstein thing.”

“Kirsch, I’m a vampire now.”

“No way! Did scary-hottie turn you?” He asks, leaning forward.

“No, she turned me.” I tell him.

“Dude. Why?”

“I was poisoned and was going to die so she turned me.”

Kirsch holds out his fist to Carmilla. “Nice.” 

Carmilla reluctantly fist bumps him. “It’s nice to see you awake and alive, beefcake.” 

“Same here. Hey,” he looks around the room. “Where is here? I mean, it doesn’t look like Silas.”

“It’s not. It’s Carm’s cabin.”

“Cabin? Bro, I didn’t know you’re loaded.” Carmilla just shrugs. “Is that Papa Hollis?” I look at him, surprised. How could he tell? “He looks like you. But, like, older. And a man. Is that bacon?”

“Yes it is.” Dad hands him a plate.

“I’m loving your dad, little nerd hottie.” Kirsch says through a mouthful of bacon.

Dad passes out plates with bacon and eggs to everyone. The smell wakes LaF up, too and they eat sleepily. By the time they’re finished, they’re fully awake.


	40. Chapter 40

Carmilla’s POV

“We need a plan.” LaFontaine says as soon as everyone’s finished eating. “How are we going to kill the Dean without killing Perry?”

“I’m not sure that’s possible.” Mr. Hollis tells them from where he’s washing the dishes. I offered to help (it is my cabin after all) but he refused. I decided not to argue. I’m tired enough after Xena and Laura were climbing on me last night.

“She’s possessing Perry, right?” Kirsch asks. “So what if we get her to possess someone else?”

“I can’t believe I’m saying this again,” Danny mutters. “Kirsch might be onto something. We could get the Dean to possess someone we can kill.”

“No.” Laura shakes her head, her eyes fiery. “No. I don’t want anyone else to die in order for us to take down the Dean.”

I reach down and let my finger graze her hand, letting her know without words that I’m here for her. I know she takes all this hard.

“Okay, so we could get her to possess a dead body.” The Ginger Nerd suggests.

“We could put her back in her normal body.” Beanstalk proposes. 

“And how would we do that?” Mattie scoffs. “Mother’s body is at the bottom of a pit rooming with an anglerfish god. Getting down there will be next to impossible, and even if we survive the trip, there’s a chance we’ll set the overgrown goldfish free. And then it’s the end of the world.”

“Okay. Let’s not do that.” Laura looks to me. “Any ideas, Carm?”

“None. Sorry, cutie.” I give her an apologetic look. 

Laura nods. The room is thick with silence until Kirsch perks up. “Bro, what if we get her to possess a vampire’s body? They could, like, duke it out and we can see who wins.”

“I don’t think anyone’s going to willingly do that, beefcake.”

LaFontaine runs a hand through their hair. “We could… There’s probably a spell or something that would make Perry aware. I mean, Perr’s stuck in her own head, watching as her body kills people. She’d want a fighting chance to beat the Dean.” We’re all quiet and I go over it in my head. It’s a good idea and it just might work. “We can do that, right?”

“I remember reading about a spell that might be able to do that.” Mr. Hollis offers. “I can look back at my books and find it.”

Laura’s smiling and I can feel the optimism radiating off of her. It’s comforting knowing that her turning hasn’t changed her as much as I feared. “Carm? What do you think?”

“It’s the best bad idea I’ve heard all day.”

“Danny?”

“I’m in. Perry’s tough and if anyone can get the Dean out of her body, it’s her.”

“Kirsch?” 

He gives Laura his puppy grin. “Yeah. We can totally take her this time.”

“Mattie?”

“I’m only doing this because I don’t want Mother to destroy the world.”

“Good!” Laura claps her hands together once, beaming. “We have a plan. We can do this.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After so many chapters of me stressing because I couldn't figure out how they were going to get the Dean without killing Perry, I'm happy I finally have a vague idea. All of their rejected ideas are ideas I came up with but didn't want to use. I promise it's going to get more interesting soon. Eventually, at least. Thank you all for reading and stay awesome!


	41. Chapter 41

Carmilla’s POV

“So we all know the plan?” Laura asks, making sure everyone nods before she continues. “And what you guys have to do?” She waits for everyone to nod again. “Alright. We probably don’t have much time to prepare, three days at the least. So we’ll need to work quickly.”

Mr. Hollis goes back outside to search for the spell in his books. LaFontaine has taken over my desk (I removed my laptop from the desk because I know they’d blow it up) and is doing experiments.

“Ginger One, don’t blow up my cabin.”

They turn and run a hand through their hair. “Yeah, I should probably take this outside. I’ll do that.”

“Try not to make another crater.” I tell them as they cart their equipment outside.

“No promises, vampira.” They grin as they leave.

I gesture for Laura to come with me. “Come on, cupcake. I have time to help you control your powers.”

Laura and I go outside. LaFontaine is walking toward the clearing Laura and I spent the night in, so I take her in the opposite direction. We pass her dad, who’s in his tent surrounded by an impressively large stack of old looking books. I guess he really has been studying the supernatural.

We take over a nearby smaller clearing. 

“What do you want me to do?” Laura questions.

I try not to think about the last time she asked me that (remembering that night will do nothing good). I sit on the ground and pull a single blade of grass from the ground.

I hand it to her. “Try to set this on fire.” Laura sits with a determined look on her face. She stares at the blade of grass like the fire in her eyes could set it on fire. “Don’t try so hard, fire is an element that comes most easily with intense emotions. So think of something you’re passionate or angry about.”

Laura takes a deep breath. This isn’t an easy trick, but it’s useful. We might need her to know how to do this, though even as powerful she is, I doubt she’ll get past the grass smoking today. 

We sit for an hour when Laura’s gaze shifts to me, pouting. Almost as soon as she looks at me, the grass disintegrates in her hand. We both stare at her empty hand in shock. If just looking at me causes such intense emotions, I can only hope they’re positive ones.

“Impressive.” I say after I snap out of my daze. “I didn’t think you’d get this far yet.”

“Wow.” She murmurs, looking back up at me. “I did that?”

“Yeah. It seems I underestimated you again.”

“Again?” Laura looks intrigued but slightly annoyed.

“I didn’t expect you to be more than just a pretty and nosy roommate. I didn’t think we’d defeat Mother. I didn’t think we could get past you wanting me to betray Mattie. I didn’t think I’d ever forgive you for telling Xena how to kill my sister. I didn’t think you’d save me from Vordenberg. I didn’t expect you to survive the change. And I certainly didn’t expect to fall in love with you.”

Oh, I said that last sentence out loud, didn’t I… Shit.


	42. Chapter 42

Laura’s POV

I must’ve heard her wrong. There’s no way she actually said… Carmilla’s eyes are full of panic as she stands so still it’s like she’s more frozen than Han Solo was. 

She glances pleadingly over her shoulder. “A distracting explosion right now would actually be useful right now, Doctor Frankenstein.”

No explosion happens and we’re left standing in the clearing. There’s soot in my hand from the grass and I can’t speak and I know Carmilla won’t. Right now, I’m pretty sure Carmilla’s hoping I didn’t hear her (though the way my mouth is still slightly open in shock may be an indication that I heard her) or hoping that I ignore what she’s said altogether.

But I heard her; I’m not going to ignore it. Somehow, she’s fallen in love with this naïve provincial girl. I know she could play it off as a joke, but she won’t. We could both hear the truth in her voice. 

Whoa. She loves me. Not just that, she’s in love with me. I can see the fear in her eyes and I’m hit with the reality that I could break her. I could shatter her until she’s nothing but a shell of herself by just uttering a few harmful words. Carmilla’s strong, stronger than she gives herself credit for, but love is the one weakness that could destroy her. I think her Mother knew that, or rather knows that. 

And I think that’s why she wants to get me out of the way and away from Carmilla. If I hate Carmilla, or if Carmilla hates me, the Dean has no one that can actually stand against her. Separate, we’re strong. But together, we’re unstoppable.

We’ve killed for each other. Heck, we’ve died for each other.

And after everything went to crap (again), after everything we’ve been through in the past few months together, I know that means everything. 

She fears what I’m going to say and the last time she told me she loves me, I told her it isn’t enough.

But I’m starting to that maybe think it is.

In the midst of this insanity, in a world that makes absolutely zero sense, we’ve found each other. We’ve found it in ourselves to love each other. And really, isn’t that all that matters?

There’s an undeniable truth that I’ve been hiding from myself for a while, but now I know it’s not something you should hide from. I love her. I love Carmilla. I’m pretty sure I’ve been falling in love with her since that dumb Zeta party. 

I love her and she loves me. We may not be the kind of story that’s turned into a fairytale, and she may not be the kind of person that I imagined I’d fall in love with. But our story’s ours and we can tell it however we want to. And falling for Carmilla is the most amazing thing that’s ever happened for me.

“Laura?” Carmilla asks in a small voice. I think I’ve been silently standing and staring at her with heart eyes. 

I reach forward and take her hand. “I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man, that was a fun chapter to write. Hollstein for the win! It was interesting to wrote from Laura's Point of View with this. I like to think that Laura likes Star Wars, too. Thank you all for reading this and stay awesome!


	43. Chapter 43

Carmilla’s POV

I’m motionless, my jaw dropped slightly in shock. Laura… No, there’s no way she could… It’s a trick from Mother. It can’t be true. 

I look into her eyes and I can see the truth in her words. My breathing is ragged and echoes in my ears. It feels like I’m being stitched together while I’m waiting to be torn apart. I’m speechless and Laura squeezes my hand gently. Her touch grounds me.

“Carmilla.” Laura’s looking into my eyes. “I love you.” When I still don’t respond, she continues talking. “I’m so sorry it me so long for me to figure that out. I’ve just never been in love before and I didn’t know what it feels like. And when I lost you after Mattie, I realized just how much you mean to me. It felt like I was barely functioning without you in my life, and knowing how much pain I caused you… I hate that I hurt you. And you might never forgive me, but I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to make it up-”

“Cupcake.” I find my voice, an easy smile on my face. She does love me. For whatever incomprehensible reason, she loves me. I clear my throat to clear the rasp. “You’re already forgiven.” 

She lets out a happy squeak and wraps her arms around my waist, pulling me into a hug. “Thanks, Carm!”

“No problem, cutie. I’m sorry I blamed you for everything. You didn’t deserve that.”

She pulls back, not seeming to notice that our faces are inches from each other. My breath hitches. “Yeah, I kind of did, Carm. I asked you to be a person we both knew you aren’t. And I asked you to do stuff you couldn’t. Sorry about that.”

Unable to resist taking advantage of our closeness, I press a gentle kiss to her nose (her blush is as adorable as it’s always been). “You’re already forgiven, sweetheart.”

“Oh.” Laura doesn’t try to move away from me, which I take as a good sign. I rest my hands on her hips, making sure she’s not uncomfortable. “Um, uh. So what are we?”

I laugh quietly at her cute awkwardness. “Cutie, the best thing you ever called me was your girlfriend. Want to call me that again?” I arch an eyebrow, delighting in her laughter.

“You think you’re so smooth, you dork.” She gently boops my nose.

“I am smooth.” 

Laura starts giggling again, but I cut it off by kissing her.


	44. Chapter 44

Carmilla’s POV

I pull away after a moment, leaving only inches between us. Laura’s eyes dart from my lips to my eyes. 

“So is that a yes?” I ask.

Laura makes a humming sound, not understanding my question (and distracted by my kisses. It’s one of my favorite noises that she makes).

“Will you be my girlfriend?”

Instead of rambling on, she surprises me by saying just one word. “Yes.” 

She rests her arms on my shoulders and kisses me. Her hands tangle in my hair and I smile into her mouth. 

Laura’s given me a second chance, and I know that no matter how forgiving she is, I probably won’t get a third chance. I hope I never have to find out. We may have our differences, but last time, what really caused our relationship to fail was our lack of communication. After so many centuries of keeping my emotions to myself, I wasn’t used to have anyone to share them with. Ell didn’t know that I’m a vampire, so I couldn’t truly confide in her. Mattie and Mother both feel that emotions make people weak. But that is no excuse.

Laura has been kind and understanding about everything since she’s gotten used to the whole me being a vampire thing. I’m still not used to having someone around that wants to be by my side with no ulterior motive. I pushed away before; the first time we tried this. I was terrified that if she heard about who I am, she’d run in the other direction and never look back. 

But I’m actually going to try now. I’m going to try to talk to her about how I feel, tell her when I’m uncomfortable, and let her see into my past, both the good and the bad.  
We both have made mistakes in this relationship, but we have eternity to make up for them. Assuming Mother doesn’t start the apocalypse and kill everyone.

But in an astounding turn of my luck, once again, she is mine and I am hers. This won’t be easy, but she’s worth it.

We kiss slowly and I thank whatever gods are listening that we’re together again. I don’t know what I’ve ever done to deserve her.

“Carmilla! Laura! Come here, I’ve found the spell!” I hear Laura’s dad yell.

We freeze and pull away from each other. I look around and see that he isn’t here, he didn’t see us. 

“We’ll have to tell him eventually.” Laura murmurs.

I refocus on her and let out a short laugh. She looks at me, confused. “Cutie, if we go over there looking like this, everyone’s going to know anyways. Our hair’s a mess, for one thing.”

Laura flushes as I smooth her hair before I fix mine.

“Laura? Carmilla?” He calls again. 

“They’re probably busy fixing their sex hair.” LaFontaine murmurs. “Oh, sorry, Mr. Hollis.”

I roll my eyes and take Laura’s hand. Of course they’d comment on his daughter’s sex life while standing right next to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pfft, LaFontaine.   
> Thank you guys for reading (holy crap 300 kudos and over 9,000 views you guys are incredible!) and stay awesome!


	45. Chapter 45

Laura’s POV

Carmilla reaches out and holds my hand. I smile at the gesture. It’s something we’ve been doing often, but now instead of just holding her hand platonically, I’m holding my girlfriend’s hand.

We walk back toward Carmilla’s cabin and my dad’s tent. Dad’s standing outside his tent with LaFontaine, an old book open on a nearby log. He looks up and smiles, noticing our entwined hands (he gives me a knowing look. We’re going to have to tell him soon).

“Hey girls. I found the spell. I can read the description for it, but the spell itself… it’s in a language I’ve never seen before.” 

Carmilla saunters over to the book and crouches. Recognition lights up in her eyes. “Mattie! Get out here.”

Mattie glides out, looking annoyed (more so than usual). “Well that was rude, Kitty. Didn’t your mother ever teach you manners?”

“That was centuries ago, sis. I need you to read this. Please.”

Their bickering is so like the sisterhood I’ve seen in shows and movies; I almost expect them to stick out their tongues at each other. But I know they’re more subtle than that. They just call each other “existentialist” or other philosophy terms I don’t quite remember (I passed my philosophy course first semester, but with everything that’s happening, classes are in no way the priority in my mind right now) and chase each other around.

Mattie huffs as Carmilla hands her the still open book. “You’re lucky you’re cute, little monster.”

“I’ve heard.”

Mattie mutters something about “no respect” and “children” and “I could just kill them all”.   
“Well, no wonder you called me out here, Kitty. This language is almost impossible to learn unless you’re not a mortal. Only a few beings can read it, let alone speak it. This is the spell we need?” She waits for our confirmation, and I nod. “Of course it is. Luckily for us, I am one of the few that can read and speak in this language. It looks like this spell needs very specific items in order for it to work. We’ll need to subdue the ginger.”

Danny (who followed Mattie outside like a curious puppy. I will never tell her or Carmilla I ever thought that) and LaFontaine exchange a look, both of them paling.

“I think Mattie means Perry, not you two.” I explain. 

“Yes, you fools, the one you call Perry. We will need to tie her up or knock her out. There are more things we need to do, but I can take the wolf with me to fetch them.”

“Wait, me?” Danny asks.

Mattie gives her an unamused look that makes Danny whine and back away slightly. It’s almost as if Danny can tell that Mattie’s older and stronger and backs down. It might just be a wolf thing, though.

“I’ll need today and tonight to look through these old musty books and figure out where everything is. I understand that you might be useful in this.” She looks at my dad, who nods. He seems excited and happy to be able to help.


	46. Chapter 46

Carmilla’s POV

Laura turns to me. “So what are we going to do while they do that?”

I smirk, “I can think of a few things.”

Laura giggles, a beautiful sound that makes me smile. “No seduction eyes right now, Carm. I want to do something useful.”

“Cutie, I think is going to be one of the rare times that we don’t have something we have to do. I know you want to help, but there’s nothing we can really do right now. Let’s just take this time to enjoy it.”

“But…”

“Laura. This is peace and quiet before we have to pretty much go to war with my mother and can only hope that Perry’s strong enough to win against Maman in Perry’s body.”

Laura lets out a breath. “Yeah, I know. I just don’t like sitting around doing nothing, it gives me time to worry.”

“I could help distract you.” I offer. Laura looks at me incredulously. “I didn’t mean it like that. We just got back together and I don’t want to rush. If we survive my mother, we’ll have eternity to figure this out.”

“You’re such a good sweet talker.” Laura murmurs, giving me a quick kiss.

“Nice, Hollis.” LaF says, grinning. I give them a glare and they hold up their hands. “Hey, your girl decided to kiss you out in the open when you maybe knew I’m here. Though maybe you forgot I’m here because you two were so wrapped up in each other. You’re disgustingly cute together. Being around you two too much will probably give me a cavity.” I just look at them. “Because you’re so sweet. Get it? No? You have lost your sense of humor, Karnstein.” I continue glaring until they pale and get the hint. “Oh, right. I’ll just be… somewhere else.”

They walk off after giving Laura thumbs up, which makes her laugh. 

“Carm, you were being rude to our friend.” Laura pouts (adorable) and pushes my shoulder lightly. 

“What? I didn’t say anything. Plus, they interrupted the best part.”

She takes a step closer to me, our breaths intermingling. “Oh yeah? And what would that be?”

A grin lights up my face. I love it when Laura gets playful like this. 

“This.” I whisper, pressing our lips together.

I feel her smiling against my mouth, which makes me smile as well until it’s not a kiss anymore; it’s our teeth clashing together as we chuckle breathlessly together. It’s not a perfect kiss by any means, but to me it’s beautiful. It’s us. What we have isn’t perfect either. But what we have is pure, and everything I never thought I’d get. After Ell, I didn’t give up on love. I gave up on myself. I have this voice in my head that points out flaws in everything I am and everything I do. But Laura’s this grounding force that keeps me from straying too far into the darkness that once threatened to consume me. That’s something I can never repay her for, but I’ll spend the rest of our lives trying to. As long as she wants me, I’ll be by her side.

I lean in and kiss her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awww. Some fluff for you guys before whatever happens next! :D  
> Thank you for reading and stay awesome!


	47. Chapter 47

Laura’s POV

“Hey, guys, I hate to interrupt but-” LaFontaine stops talking as Carmilla and I break apart. We were only kissing, but LaF is five shades paler than normal. Though that’s probably because of the murderous expression on Carm’s face. “Shit. I thought you two would be giving each other heart eyes. Don’t kill me. Laura, tell your girlfriend not to kill me.”

“Carm.” I say, nudging her and giving her a look.

Carmilla sighs and grumbles something that sounds suspiciously like her complaining about me “ruining her fun”.

“What’s wrong, LaF?” I ask.

“Well, for our plan to work, we need to knock out Perry slash the Dean. How are we going to do that?”

“A rock?” I suggest. They both appear unimpressed with that idea. “What? It worked last time.”

“If it did we wouldn’t be in this mess.” LaFontaine points out, keeping their voice calm. I know they’re not bitter about that or anything. They’re just being the scientist they are and stating a fact they know to be true. “Plus, it could hurt Perry. If the spell works, she’ll boot out the Dean, which might mean her vampire healing powers could be gone, too. So nothing that could hurt her.”

“We could try another spell.” Carmilla suggests. 

“Would a sleep spell even work on her?” They wonder aloud.

I randomly remember the smelling salts Carm used to block my sense of smell. “Hey, would a sleeping powder work?”

“We’ll have to get close enough to her to blow it in her face and not breathe it in.” LaF murmurs, squinting. I know from experience that that’s their thinking face.

“JP could do it.” Carm suggests. LaF scowls at her and she puts up her hands. After their whole putting him into Will’s body, LaFontaine’s been protective of him. “Hear me out, Ginger One. The Dean has kept him around for some reason and seems to trust him. He distracts her and I blow the dust in her face. He won’t be in danger any more than he is now.”

“Yeah, yeah. That could work. Sorry, Vampira. I know I can make the powder.” They smirk, “I discovered this really potent sleeping powder when I was trying to create a better cleaning product for Perr. It knocked me out for two days straight.”

“Do you have what you need to make it?” Carmilla questions.

“Yeah, I should be good. Do you guys have any chocolate?”

“Yes we do, it’s in the cabinet where we’re keeping all of Laura’s junk food. You need chocolate to make sleeping powder?” Carmilla raises an eyebrow, casually throwing her arm around my shoulders. I smile and lean into her.

LaF pretends not to notice. “Yes and no. It’s good and helps me focus. I don’t need it for the actual powder.” They spin on their heel and march back into the cabin. “To the lab!”

“Outside, Dr. Frankenstein! No blowing up the cabin!” Carmilla calls after them.

LaFontaine reappears moments later, dragging a cart stuffed full of various things that I didn’t know you’d need to make sleeping powder. Like a Nerf gun.

“Carm, why do you have a Nerf gun?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for 10,000 views! You guys are incredible!  
> In other news, I think I have a clue where this story's going! (cue shocked gasps) Thank you all for supporting and liking this story and stay awesome!


	48. Chapter 48

Laura’s POV

“Carm, why do you have a Nerf gun?”

She keeps a straight face as she says, “I like to have fun, cutie.” 

“I know that, but why do you have a Nerf gun?”

Carmilla smirks and kisses my cheek. “I’ve got to keep my air of mystery, don’t I?”

“So you have no idea where it came from.”

“Not a clue. Maybe the Ginger One brought one from campus. Or maybe your father was planning to bombard us with plastic pellets while we sleep.” She wiggles her fingers dorkily, smiling and looking accomplished when it makes me giggle.

“Laura, Carmilla!” My dad yells, standing in the doorway to the cabin. “The computer’s flashing and it’s saying something about you having a message.”

I look at her, alarmed. “Your computer can talk?”

“No. This is not good.” 

We walk quickly into the cabin. My shoulders are tense and my fists are clenched, ready to fight a pile of sentient metal. But we walk in to a calm room with the light above the screen blinking.

Dad points to the screen, where there’s a pop-up saying that JP wants to Skype with us. I breathe out a sigh of relief. I really don’t want anything else to go wrong, so the fact that Carmilla’s computer hasn’t come alive wanting to terminate most of the human race or something is really comforting right now. 

“Hey, where’s Danny and Mattie?” I ask.

“They left to get the supplies, kiddo. We found where they are quicker than we thought. And I think Matska was irritated at Danny about something.” He shrugs, giving me an apologetic look. “Sorry I don’t know more than that.”

“It’s okay, Daddy.” I hug him, smiling when he gives me a bear hug in return, lifting me off the ground for a moment before setting me back down. 

“Hello, Miss Karnstein and Miss Hollis.” JP’s voice comes from behind me, making me spin back around to face the laptop. Carmilla must have accepted his Skype request. “I’m afraid I don’t know you, sir. Yet you look remarkably similar to Miss Hollis. Are you by chance her father?”

Dad looks impressed. “Yes, I am.”

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Hollis. I am JP, a friend of your daughter’s. And though I would love to chat longer, I have an urgent message for you all.” His face takes a grim expression. “I am afraid that Miss Perry will be making her move shortly. I don’t know the details of what she’s going to do, just that it will be soon.”

“Thanks, JP. We have an idea, but for your safety I’m not going to tell you.” Carmilla says. “We’ll come soon.”

“Save the world, Miss Karnstein.” He gives a little wave before cutting off the Skype thing.

“No pressure.” Carmilla murmurs, leaning back in her chair. 

I grab the nearest chair (which just so happens to be the one Carm spent so much time in while I was changing). I reach out and hold her hand, waiting for her to look up at me before speaking.

“Hey. We’re in this together, alright?”


	49. Chapter 49

Carmilla’s POV

I look up at Laura’s concerned expression. “I know. I’m just trying to figure out what we’re going to do. We have a vague idea, but how am I going to get JP and the Dean out of there?”

We spend the next few hours with her dad ironing out some details until I’m satisfied we have a semi-solid plan. By then, Mr. Hollis is slumped in a chair, snoring loudly and the ginger nerd and the puppy are taking up the bed again. 

Laura yawns, her eyes drooping. I lead my exhausted girlfriend (it’s still hard to believe that she gave me a second chance and is allowing me to call her that) to a mattress on the ground. We covered them all in blankets earlier, which I’m grateful for. Laura flops gracelessly onto it, making me laugh quietly. I grab the blankets and tuck her in. I’m about to go to another mattress for me to sleep on when I notice that Laura’s hand is holding my wrist. 

“Carm, get back here.” She whines adorably, tugging on me gently. 

I decide that it’s not a good idea to argue with a sleepy Laura and slide into the covers beside her. She hums happily and wraps her arms around me, snuggling as close to me as she can. I swear I can feel my heart melting and I press a kiss to her forehead before falling into a restful sleep.

“Get up, Kitty.” I hear a voice say. I grumble out a “no” and nestle further into the covers. “As hilarious as the sight of you being the little spoon is, we have more important matters to attend to. So wake up.”

Little spoon? I open my eyes, blinking a few times until I adjust to the light. There’s a warm mass behind me and I look down to see that Laura has her arms around me. And I am the little spoon. We must have moved during the night while we were asleep.

Acting like I’m not embarrassed, I glance up at Mattie’s unamused face. I notice the smell of cooking eggs and decide that now’s as good a time as any to get up and face the music. 

I try to get up but Laura just tightens her hold around me and groans. “No, Carm, it’s too early. Shh.”

I can hear LaF snickering in the background as I make my escape. As much as I’d love to spend the day in her arms, we’re in the midst of what’s essentially a war and we don’t really have time to revel in each other’s presence right now. Hopefully, the world won’t end and there’ll be time for that later.

“What’s wrong?”

“Your idiot box started flashing again so I checked it. You have an email from JP.” That wakes me up quickly. He knows not to send me anything unless it’s an emergency and he can’t Skype or risk being heard. “I haven’t opened it yet, but it’s titled in all capital letters, EVACUATE.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, I'm almost sorry for that cliffhanger... But at least we get some brief Hollstein cuddles before everything goes to hell! To be honest, this story will probably go smoother than season 3 will... Okay, definitely. The Carmilla writers are brilliant at making everything okay and then very not okay to the point you can feel your heart breaking for the characters.   
> Anyways, thanks for reading and stay awesome!


	50. Chapter 50

Carmilla’s POV

Oh, that can’t be good. Laura, possibly sensing the tension in the room, is waking up pretty quickly. 

I rush to the laptop, glad that Mattie didn’t close the window. I open up the email and read aloud. “Hello and apologies for interrupting your day. Miss Perry has ordered a complete evacuation of the campus. However, she has requested that I stay behind with her and her followers. Please do not worry about me; I will be safe at Miss Perry’s side for now. Continue with your preparations and come when you are ready.”

“What else do we need to do?” LaFontaine sounds calm, but I can hear the panic in their voice. “I know we need to test my air cannon, but what else?”

“Air cannon?” Laura asks, rubbing sleep from her eyes. 

“I made it so Carmilla won’t breathe the sleeping powder in. If it works and doesn’t blow up.”

“Carm and I are done, I think. Right?” Laura looks at me for confirmation.

“Yeah, we are. What about you, Mattie?”

“The overgrown pup and I are done as well. We have everything ready to be moved.”

LaF grabs their air cannon from beside their bed along with a mason jar of white powder. They gesture for us to follow them so we leave Papa Hollis to finish cooking (after he insisted that he’s fine and practically shooed me out the door).

“I don’t want to waste any or knock out every living thing within ten feet, so we’re going to use dirt for the test runs.” Ginger One says, getting into their mad scientist mode. “Luckily, the dirt around here has properties very similar to the sleeping powder.”

They reach down and scoop up a handful of dirt; pouring it into a compartment in their air cannon (I’ll never admit it aloud to anyone other than Laura, but their air cannon actually looks really cool). They close the compartment and aim it away from us. They pull the trigger and a cloud of dust shoots out, but doesn’t go back to reach LaF. 

They let out an excited hoot. “It didn’t explode! Man, I’m awesome.”

They test it twice more and I think even Mattie’s impressed by the fact it hasn’t turned into a giant fireball.

“Now all that’s left is to find somewhere to do the spell.” I comment.

“Breakfast first.” Laura reminds me. 

I reach out and take her hand, “Of course. Let’s head back inside.”

We all head back inside and I’m glad that LaF seems to be in a better mood. 

“Breakfast is ready!” Papa Hollis says when we come in, putting eggs on plates. 

I thank him and grab two, handing one to Laura. She sits on the ground and I set down my food next to her.

“I’ll be right back.” I press a kiss to her cheek.

I spend the next few minutes playing hostess and handing out blood to the vampires of our group. By the time I sit beside Laura, she’s almost halfway done eating.  
Between bites, LaFontaine, Laura and I joke with each other, trying to lighten the mood. Because after we finish eating, we’ll have to grab what we need and save the world.


	51. Chapter 51

Carmilla’s POV

“We have everything?” Laura asks, looking around my cabin.

I hope we get to see it again. I go over my mental checklist. 

“We’re just missing one last thing.” I grab some ropes from the trunk at the end of my bed. “Not even I can break these.”

“Why do you even have those?” LaF questions, their eyes flickering to Laura. 

“In case a supernatural creature finds this place. With these I can interrogate them without having to hold them down for hours.”

“That actually makes sense.” LaF nods to themself, “Alright, then. Let’s go save the world.”

We say goodbye to Papa Hollis, who’s staying behind. He may not like that he’s not there, but we all know it’s or the best. We set off and somehow we’re lucky enough to find a clearing near a border of the campus. It’s surrounded by trees and secluded, but the campus is easy to access from here. 

Mattie immediately begins to set up whatever she and Xena found for the spell. 

“How long will it take to set it up?” I inquire. 

“Not too long. You should set off to find Maman in a minute.” She murmurs, more focused and serious than I’ve seen her be in years. 

LaFontaine comes over and hands me the air cannon, and the mason jar is attached to it. “I’m sure you know how to shoot a gun, right?” They wait for me to nod my confirmation before they continue. “Okay, then there’s not much else you’ll need to know. This is obviously the trigger, and the mason jar is kind of like the clip storing the ammo. Here’s the safety, just flick it off when you’re about to do it. Just make sure JP’s not in your line of fire, okay? And as long as you’re ten feet away, it should hit her and knock her out. I’d advise you to tie her up right away because I’m not sure how long it’ll knock her out for. At worst, maybe half an hour. At best, maybe a day. But I’m not sure because I’ve never studied vampires’ systems.”

“Thanks, LaFontaine. I’ll be back with her soon.”

“No problem, vampira. Be careful with her, please. Perry’s still in there.”

“I will.”

The ground rumbles, even stronger than what we thought at the time were aftershocks of Lophiiformes. I hear ground ready to collapse and know that the crater is going to expand and swallow the entire campus if this keeps up. Of course this couldn’t be easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're starting to near the end :O This story might not be finished for another two or three weeks, but there's still not a ton left! And don't worry, there will be angst (cackles) but it (might) get better...  
> Thank you amazing humans for reading and stay awesome!


	52. Chapter 52

Carmilla’s POV

“Keep everyone away from the crater.” I warn them as I sprint away.

Using my supernatural speed, I reach JP in about a minute.

“Miss Karnstein,” he greets, looking relieved to see me. “I’m very glad to see you. Miss Perry is nearby. I will get her attention and you do whatever you plan to do.” His eyes flicker down to the air cannon, a worried expression on his face.

“This won’t kill her.” I reassure him.

JP relaxes slightly and gestures for me to follow him. Somehow, we have the luck of having Maman’s back to us so she doesn’t see us. Not just that, but she’s so distracted by whatever her SWAT guys are doing in the crater; she doesn’t seem to register our presence at all. That is incredible good luck, so I brace myself for the worst. Something’s going to go horribly wrong, I just know it. 

“Pardon me, Miss Perry.”

JP had the foresight to stay behind me. Mother turns and gets a face full of sleeping powder. She crumples to the ground, letting out quiet snores. That cannot be a Maman thing, so that must be a Perry thing. It makes hope rise in my chest. Maybe this will work.

I tie her up as fast and as silently as I can. I bind her hands and feet together and haul her over my shoulder.

“We need to get back to the others.” I tell him as the ground shakes again. I hear the dirt beneath us shift and know that it won’t be long until the entire campus collapses. “Run.”

We sprint back towards them and the whole way I can feel the ground becoming more and more unstable. Fissures appear and JP and I push ourselves faster until we reach the clearing. I notice straight away that the ground here is much more stable and should be able to withstand the crater swallowing the campus.

I set Maman down and look around. “Where’s Laura?”

“She went after you after she thought you’d been gone too long.” LaF says, looking behind me. “She isn’t with you?”

I spin around, ready to dash back to campus. “I’m going to get her.”

Mattie catches my arm. “Whoa, Kitty. She could be fine. That one’s more stubborn than anyone I’ve ever met, and that’s saying something. She’ll be okay.”

“I’m not taking that chance. That campus is about to be swallowed by the crater and if she’s there looking for me when that happens…” I take a shuddering breath. “Not even a vampire could survive that.”

The ground rumbles again and I hear crumbling in the distance, knowing the crater’s beginning to expand.

“Alright. Go save your girl, Kitty. And please, come back with her. We need the both of you for the spell to work. Unless we want to include JP, which we both know the short ginger would kill us for.”

“I’ll bring her back.” I say, mainly to myself. She’ll be okay. She has to be. 

Then my world comes crashing down around me when I hear Laura scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mwahahahaha  
> Just to make things worse, I'll remind you of one of Satan's comics. "How's Laura?"  
> We don't know... yet. But she's screaming, and definitely not in a fun way. So not good!  
> Thank you guys for reading and stay awesome!


	53. Chapter 53

Carmilla’s POV

I follow the sound, leaving the others behind without a second thought. 

Please let her be okay, I plead to whatever’s listening. I can’t lose her too.

I stop at the edge of the crater near where I think I heard her. I peer down and see Laura hanging onto a ledge a few feet down. A few small bits of dirt are slowly falling down around her and I can tell that in an hour (if we’re lucky) the ledge will become too small for her to hold onto. 

Laura looks up, squinting against the constant flow of particles dropping on her. “Carm?”

“I’m here. Can you climb up?”

“I don’t think so.” Laura grimaces and spits after some dirt goes into her mouth. 

“Can you partially shift? You can use your claws to come up.”

“I don’t know how.” Laura admits. “Carm, I’m scared.”

“I know, honey, I am too. I’m not going to let you fall, okay?” I try to reassure her. I see her give a slight smile. I just hope my voice isn’t shaking like my hands are. I’m terrified. 

“How do I partly shift?” 

“You need to relax and imagine your nails becoming claws.”

“What if I relax too much?” She frets. “What if I accidentally let go? Carm, I don’t want to die in this crater.” I hear her breathing pick up as she starts to panic.

“Laura, listen to my voice.” I focus on keeping it as composed and soothing as I can. Her breathing slows slightly. “You’re going to be okay, cupcake. You won’t relax too much. Your will to survive is too strong. You won’t let go. Now, focus on imagining your claws. You can do this. I believe in you.” I watch with pride as her hands shift until she does get her claws. “You did it, creampuff. Now look up at me. Look into my eyes.”

“I did it?” Laura grins widely, still looking up at me.

“You did it. Now focus on me.” I hope this works. I’ve never done anything like this. “Concentrate only on getting up to me. I know from experience how good of a climber you are, my little lioness.” She slowly starts to climb, digging her fingers into the side of the crater as she raises herself up. “You’re doing great. Keep your eyes on me.” She scales it easier than I thought she would. Once she’s arm’s length away, I reach down. “Grab my hand, Laura. I’ll pull you out.”

Her hand visibly shakes as she holds on with one hand and reaches for me. I grasp her wrist and pull her from the crater. I must have pulled pretty hard because the next thing I know, I’m on my back and Laura’s on top of me.

She lets out a shuddering breath, snuggling closer to me. I wrap my arms around her, finally allowing myself to relax. She’s fine.

“Thanks, Carm.” Laura murmurs, kissing me gently.

“No problem, cutie. I’m just glad you’re okay.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that was a lot less angsty than I thought it'd be... oh well. Thank you guys for reading and stay awesome!


	54. Chapter 54

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This first part (the first two paragraphs) in past tense is Laura reflecting on what just happened

Laura’s POV 

I thought I was going to die in that crater. I thought no one would hear me and I’d hold on until I couldn’t anymore and fall until I died again. I thought I’d die in a giant hole with a giant fish god in it. I thought I’d die without saying goodbye to Carmilla.

But then I heard footsteps, and I looked up. She heard me, she came. I could see how scared she was. But she seemed so calm when she helped me out. Sure, she didn’t physically help me out until I was close enough for her to reach, but it was her soothing voice that got my terrified body to move.

I snuggle closer to her body.

“Laura, as much as I love this we need to get back to the others.” Carmilla says quietly as she runs her fingers through my hair.

“I know.”

I press my lips to hers in a sweet but short kiss. When I pull back, her mouth is still slightly open. I get up, wanting nothing more than to sink back in her arms. I hold out my hand and pull her up.

We don’t need words because we both know that though neither of us want to go back, it’s something we need to do. I take her hand and we start walking. 

“Laura!” LaF yells when we’re in sight, practically tackling me in a hug. “You’re okay!” They pull back, “What happened? Where were you? Why did you scream?”

“I was trying to find Carm when the ground fractured around me. I fell a few feet down in the crater.”

LaFontaine looks worried yet impressed. “Nice, Hollis. You’ll have to tell me how you got out another time. Right now, we need to do the spell.”

“Why right now?” I ask. I mean, I know sooner rather than later is better, but why would right now be necessary?

They use their thumb to point over their shoulder. Perry (or really, I guess it’s the Dean right now) is on the round with an absolutely murderous expression on her face. Her hands and feet are bound so she lies on her side. For some reason, there’s a piece of cloth stuck in her mouth.

“Why is she gagged?” Carmilla questions.

“She started spouting some weird language that made JP and Mattie’s eyes roll back in their head. When they started to convulse, I stuffed one of my socks in her mouth.”

“That’s disgusting yet seemingly effective.” I remark, studying Perry. 

I can hear muffled noises coming from her before her nose wrinkles and she stops trying to speak. I actually feel kind of sorry for her because Carm didn’t have any socks that fit them, and while on the run and without Perry, their socks haven’t been washed in… a while.

“Are you two ready to do the spell?” Mattie drawls. “I need four vampires total, and I’d prefer not to use that one.” She gestures toward JP.

I nod, looking to Carmilla.

“Let’s do this, Mattie.” Carmilla confirms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there might be just one or two more chapters (maybe a couple more), it depends on how they go. Thank you for reading and stay awesome!


	55. Chapter 55

Laura’s POV

Mattie makes us sit in weirdly specific places (I was centimeters off and she forcefully moved me). Carmilla’s to my left, Danny’s on my right, and Mattie’s across from me. We’re seated on a circle one of them must have drawn with Perry/the Dean in the middle of it. 

Mattie takes a dagger and slices her non-dominant hand. She dips her fingers from her other hand in the blood, curling her palm so that it doesn’t fall to the ground. She draws a circle on her forehead and smears it on her cheeks. When Mattie passes it to Danny, I balk. Does she expect us to do that?

“Only do your cheeks.” Mattie says.

Danny silently cuts her palm as well, flinching slightly. She spreads her blood across her cheeks. She passes the blade to me, and I hesitantly take it. I glance up to Mattie, who’s watching me expectantly. Crap. Carmilla reaches over and positions it, reassuring me with her eyes that I’ll be fine. I cut my non-dominant hand like I saw Mattie do and hiss at the pain. The blade passes easily through layers of my skin and I wrinkle my nose as the copper smell of my blood permeates the air. I dip my other thumb in the small red pool in my hand and smudge it on my cheeks. Carmilla gives me a reassuring smile as I pass it to her. She does the same and passes the dagger back to Mattie.

Mattie sets it down beside her and places her bloody palm in the smaller circle in front of her (how did I not notice that there are smaller circles in front of us within the big circle we’re sitting on?). She gestures to us to do the same and we quickly comply.

“I will begin the spell soon. No matter how much pain you’re in, you do not remove your hand. Do you understand? If you do, all of this was for nothing and the Dean will have permanent control of Perry. Do not move your hand.” She makes eye contact with all of us (man I forget sometimes how intimidating she can be) and I shudder in relief when her gaze moves away from me.

Mattie starts speaking in an ancient sounding language, the words and their meanings escaping me. I can feel the power in them, and not just because the wind around us has picked up, swirling a foot behind our backs. I cast a fearful glance at Carmilla, who’s already looking at me. 

“Don’t worry,” she mouths.

I nod to show her I understand because saying anything would be useless. The wind is howling around us, but the words flowing from Mattie are still comprehensible. It’s almost like the noise of the wind itself is bending around the words, allowing them to be heard. Mattie begins speaking faster and faster until I’m not sure if they’re words or if she’s humming. The miniature tornado around us comes closer until I can barely breathe with it whipping the air out of my lungs. My hand feels like it was injected with that painful poison that would’ve killed me. It aches, but feels like its burning. It feels like every cell in that hand is dying a slow, painful death. I grit my teeth and keep my palm down. I won’t be the reason one of my friends dies.

The pain gets more intense until I’m practically doubled over and I can hear my teeth creaking with the force of my jaws. If I loosen up, I’ll scream bloody murder and lift up my hand. The wind and the pain suddenly stop and I look up at Perry, who’s blinking as if she hasn’t seen the sun in a long time. Could this be Perry? Has it already worked?


	56. Chapter 56

Carmilla’s POV

I watch Perry with wary eyes. She’s blinking rapidly, still bound and on the ground in the middle of the circle. She seems slightly dazed, and I can practically feel the hope radiating from LaFontaine and JP.

Her body jerks slightly, and she looks down at herself, confused. The words that come from her are muddled by LaFontaine’s disgusting yet effective sock gag. I’m not certain who’s in control, so I don’t get up to remove her gag. I also don’t know if getting up would break the spell or rip a hole in the fabric of reality, so that’s another reason.

Perry begins moving, or trying to at least. I don’t think she’s grasped that she’s tied up yet. I can see the exact moment she realizes. The confusion fades slightly and annoyance overpowers all other emotions on her face. I can hear her sigh and say something that sounds like “LaFontaine”.

Then her body freezes for a moment (she’s so still I think the world held its breath) before she shudders almost violently and curls into fetal position.

I can see how alarmed JP and LaFontaine have become, but he stays silent, though the worry doesn’t fade from his features.

“What’s wrong with her?” They ask, taking an automatic step forward. JP rests his hand on their arm, stopping them in their tracks.

“The spell is working. Stay back.” Mattie’s voice is still deep and guttural, but I can hear the pride in her voice. Her spell worked. “Do not remove your hands.”

A bright light nearly blinds me, emanating from the center of the circle. It’s almost as bright as Lophii’s was when she was luring Laura and others in first semester. I force my hand to stay down, resisting the urge to use it to block the light. It’s a pale white in color, but instead of it being comforting and beautiful, it feels wrong. When it fades and my eyes adjust, Perry’s standing in the center of the circle, hands and ankles unbound and the gag isn’t between her lips. There’s a scowl on her lips that sends a bolt of fear down my spine. I glance around her, but don’t see the rope or sock anywhere. Did she vaporize them?

Her back is straight in a horrifyingly familiar posture as she looks at me. A malicious smile spreads across her face. “Hello, my glittering girl.”

My body’s trembling and I don’t know why. My breath’s coming in loud gasps and I can’t seem to suck enough air in my lungs. Gods, I’m going to die. I’m going to die again. I’m-

“Carm.” A voice slices through my panic. “Carm, you have to calm down. Listen to my voice, okay? It’s going to be alright. You know the good guys always win.”

I ignore the fact we both know that last sentence is a lie and let Laura’s voice sooth me. My breathing is under control. I’m okay. I’m okay.

“I have to say, you and Matska have surprised me. I never thought that my diamond would turn her pet.” She smirks. “Though I’m certain there were circumstances out of your control that drove you to do so. And Matska.” Perry (she’s Maman. She’s no longer Perry, Karnstein) clucks her tongue. “You have disappointed me. I thought that you would not betray me.”

“Betraying you means saving the world, and I happen to like this one.”

She seems unimpressed with Mattie’s explanation. “It is full of imbeciles and vermin. They are not worth saving. Rejoin me and-”

Maman’s head snaps to the side, a snarl on her face. “Get out of my body, you old hag.”

That’s not Maman. 

Laura notices this, too. “Perry?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooh, cliffhanger (cackles evilly). Is it Perry or not Perry?   
> Also, I just realized that if I let a chapter end where Laura was in the crater, it literally could have been a cliffhanger (not a cliff, but a ledge but close enough)  
> Thank you amazing humans for reading and stay awesome!


	57. Chapter 57

Carmilla’s POV

“Perry?”

Perry or whoever’s in her body right now, jerks and then smirks at Laura.

“Wrong, poppet.”

Her head snaps to the side again, “I said, get out of my head!”

“Oh, you foolish girl. You think a mere human could take me out of their body?” She sneers at Matska. “I thought I taught you better than that. This mortal is absolutely pathetic, even for a human. It cleans whenever it’s anxious, which is exasperatingly often.” She sighs dramatically, but she hasn’t moved from the center of the circle. Is she stuck there until she’s done fighting with Perry or Maman? “Why did this one have to be the easiest body to get into? Why couldn’t it have been that handsome yet stupid young man William used to be acquaintances with? Or even the pet my diamond girl turned?”

She’s silent for a few moments, smiling at odd intervals. I can feel the fear from JP and LaFontaine. They’re both worried about their friend, and I don’t blame them. I’m not sure if Perry can win against Maman. I hope she does, for her sake and her friends’ sakes. 

“Get out of me,” Perry snarls. I’m pretty sure it’s Perry, at least. “And stop going through my memories!” Her body twitches again.

“Humans are so incredibly dull and boring.” Maman sighs. “This one thinks listening to the scientist ramble on is interesting. I must say, this mortal has impressed me. Her mind is still here and sane, even after all this time I’ve been possessing her.”

“The only not sane one in this body is you.” Perry hisses. “Get out, or I will start fighting dirty.”

“You? Getting dirty? You obsessively clean your room after you find one speck of dust just in case there’s any more lying around.” Maman laughs. 

I think they’ve forgotten we’re here and are busy battling it out.

“I’m allergic to dust. And I warned you!”

“What?” Maman’s eyes widen and she looks like she wants to take a step back, but can’t. “You insolent girl! Remove yourself from my memories!”

“Get out of me, Lilith. But that’s not your real name, is it?” I sit up straighter. It isn’t? Those of us close enough to call her anything other than Master or Maman (she has other titles we call her, but she doesn’t need to know some of them) only call her Lilith. “It’s really-”

“Hush, you fool!”

“I will, when you leave me.” Perry says, sounding a lot braver than I expected she would. Though I can see the fear in her eyes. “Otherwise, I’ll tell your precious children all about your dirty little secrets.”

“You wouldn’t. Some of them could destroy the very fabric of the universe!”

“Oh, I would. Carmilla, did you know that Ell wasn’t instantly fed to Lophiiformes? Your dear Mother kept her around for years until she nearly died, using her as a blood bag. For eleven years, she was kept alive just as punishment for her, not for you. The Dean was jealous that you found someone that could love you in the way she never could. She was fed to Lophii after 20 years. Those last nine were just her being barely kept alive. And JP. She didn’t suck you into the internet; in fact, she has no idea who did. And Matska. You know how she promised to leave your family and children alone after she turned you? She didn’t. She sent one of her thralls to slaughter them all in their sleep. That’s why she didn’t let you go back for centuries.”

“Enough!” Maman roars, the ground shaking with the force of it. “Leave my new body, you pest!”


	58. Chapter 58

Carmilla’s POV

“Enough! Leave my new body, you pest!”

My vision is blurred by tears I can’t hold back. I know Laura’s worried about me, but I can’t seem to find it within me to reassure her. I took solace, all these years, in the fact that she might have just been killed. After I learned what Maman was doing with the marks, it comforted me to think that at least she didn’t suffer long at Maman’s hand. But she did. Gods, she did. For twenty years she suffered, and I didn’t even know.

I can hear Mattie taking shaky breaths and know that there are tears in her eyes, too. She speaks about her family often whenever we’re together, and the love I could always hear in her voice never faded, no matter how many centuries had passed since she last saw them. The stifled crying I hear coming from her breaks my heart. She doesn’t deserve this. And if I didn’t have to keep my hand down, I’d be wrapping them around Maman’s neck.

“Get out of my body-”

“Say my name and you will regret it,” Maman hisses. There’s something in her voice I have rarely heard. It seems like… fear.

“Stay in my body and you’ll regret it. And you haven’t seen me fight dirty yet.”

“Perr-” LaFontaine says, sounding worried. “You said you were never going to do that again. You never told me why, but you told me to under no circumstances mention it again.”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures.” She replies, but seems to sense that LaFontaine’s still concerned. “I’ll be fine, LaF.”

Perry starts speaking in a language (it sounds like Latin, but I’m not certain). I hope it’s Perry and not Maman. Her eyes roll back slightly and a dark mist pours from her. It forms the shape of a body, about six feet tall and my jaw clenches. That’s Maman. 

I wipe the tears in my eyes away with my free hand, glaring up at her.

“What have you done?” Her voice seems otherworldly coming from a hazy vague shape of her. But I’d recognize that voice anywhere after centuries of it haunting me. It is Maman.

“You are banished from my body.” Perry says in a weirdly deep voice. “You are banished to your body.”

“You can’t do this!” Maman screeches. “You’re just a human! My body is lying broken at the bottom of the pit!”

“I am not just human. I’m a witch.”

Maman growls, “No wonder I got strong faster than I expected. But you alone do not have the power to banish me to my body.”

Perry’s head cocks to the side. “You are correct. Alone, I cannot do that. However, with the strength of this circle…” She trails off, smiling (when did Perry get so frightening?).

“No.” Maman lets out. There’s definitely fear in her voice now.

“I’ll be certain to feed you to the giant fish god you love so much.” She raises her hand, palm towards Maman’s shade.

“No, Perr!” LaFontaine yells. She looks over at them. “That would make Lophii stronger, strong enough to kill us all and devour everyone in the world!”

“We were wrong about that, LaF. That’s what the Dean and Lophiiformes want us to think. It’ll destroy them both permanently.”

With that, Perry utters a few more words, a golden light shooting from her hand and engulfing Maman, who lets out an ear-piercing scream. The dark smog that was Maman disappears and everything goes silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, this isn't the last chapter. It's getting really close, but it's not the last. Thank you all for reading and stay awesome!


	59. Chapter 59

Laura’s POV

“Holy Isaac Newton, Perr.” LaF gasps. They’re the first of us to react to whatever just happened. “Your spell thing worked.” They squint at her. “It did work, right? You are Perry?”

She turns to them as the circles beneath her feet fade into the ground. It’s a weird sight, even for Silas and I find myself grimacing, resisting the urge to pull my hand away.

“You can lift up your hands now.” Mattie says, standing gracefully (seriously, I mean I know she’s a big cat but still. I’ve fallen on my face more than ten times since I was turned, and I’m apparently a lioness. How can she and Carm move so elegantly?). She eyes possibly-Perry warily but is met by a blank look. “Whoever is in your friend is there to stay.”

Perry’s eyes are unfocused for a moment and she takes a step towards LaFontaine. I stand slowly, watching Carm do the same out of the corner of my vision. I’m tense and just hoping that this dazed look isn’t just to distract us so she can murder us all easier. 

Perry shakes her head, her red curls bouncing and falling in her face. Her expression clears and she frowns for a moment. She looks at LaF and I can see fire burning in her eyes (it’s kind of terrifying and I’m glad she’s not looking at me like that). Perry grimaces and spits a small piece of white fuzz onto the ground. Well, that could have only come from-

“LAFONTAINE, DID YOU PUT YOUR DIRTY SOCK INTO MY MOUTH?”

LaFontaine winces, “The Dean was going to kill Mattie and JP-”

Perry speaks quieter now, but if anything it’s even more intimidating. I find myself automatically gravitating towards Carmilla. “It isn’t the why, it’s the what. LaFontaine you put your filthy sock that hasn’t been washed in weeks into my mouth.”

“Uh yeah.” They rub the back of their neck awkwardly, looking sheepish. “Sorry about that.” Perry mutters something about buying a gallon of mouthwash and LaF’s eyes widen, a goofy grin spreading across their face. “Perry!”

“Yes? Oomph.” Perry has to take a step back because LaF practically tackled her into a hug.

“It worked! It’s really you!” LaFontaine doesn’t let go as they say this, I think I see their arms tightening around her. “And you complain about me making you worry. I just blow things up; you get possessed by the thousands-of-years old spawn of Satan.”

Perry’s hugging them back now. JP’s off to the side of them, fiddling with his fingers and looking happy. 

“I’m incredibly pleased that you are back, Miss Perry. It’s very nice to see you again.”

Perry and LaFontaine break their hug and she gives him a quick hug (JP’s body goes rigid and he looks very uncomfortable for those three seconds). She and LaF stand shoulder to shoulder, leaning on each other.

“I hate to ruin your moment, but we don’t know where Maman is.” Mattie points out, not sounding particularly sorry at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, we're getting seriously close to the end. Thank you guys for your kudos (almost 400?? You guys are incredible!) and for reading and stay awesome!


	60. Chapter 60

Laura’s POV

“I hate to ruin your moment, but we don’t know where Maman is.”

“Yes we do.” Perry says. “Well, I do. Since she possessed my body for so long, we have some sort of connection between our souls. So if you give me a moment to focus, I should be able to determine where she is.”

“Maman has a soul?” Carmilla murmurs, half sarcastic and half serious.

Perry stares off at the tree line for a minute, her forehead scrunched up as she concentrates.

She grimaces and blinks, turning her attention back to us. “The Dean is currently trying to fend off Lophiiformes. But her body is weak, almost as weak as an ordinary human’s. She’s going to be eaten.”

“Why is her body so weak?” Mattie wonders aloud. “It can’t just be the fall; I’ve seen her survive much worse. That could’ve weakened her enough that she’d want a new host until she could get her body back, but not to that extent.”

“I think the spell you did and the spell I did took its toll. Not to mention that I’ve been trying to steal some of her life energy the entire time I’ve been aware that she was possessing me.” Perry explains.

Mattie looks at her in disbelief and reluctant amazement. “That is… incredibly dangerous. I haven’t even taught Carmilla how to do that.”

“It also worked.” Perry retorts. “If I didn’t, she would have won the fight for my body.”

“Okay, okay. Back to Maman. She’s going to be eaten? That’s it?” Carmilla asks, and I definitely share her skepticism.

“That’s it.” Perry confirms. “Their powers separately are at an apocalyptic level, but together they’re somehow cancelled out. I’m not sure what specifically is going to happen.”

“So what’s going to go wrong?” I ask. “Something always goes wrong.”

Carmilla moves closer to me, reaching out and grabbing my hand. There’s no doubt that she’s remembering the last time things went wrong. You know, when I fell into the pit and she had to rescue me. Though I know she’d argue it was me and I saved myself, but it was her words that gave me the courage.

“Something might go wrong.” Perry admits, and I try to hide a smile when I notice LaF and JP moving closer to her as if to protect her from whatever’s going to happen.

The ground rumbles and I squeeze Carmilla’s hand harder as the earth beneath us shifts. We nearly fall when the quaking stops. The extremely loud noise doesn’t stop, just gets slightly quieter. Two chorused screeches echo from the pit’s direction.

We all head toward the sound. We stop at the edge of the pit. There’s a blinding black light emanating from the center, engulfing the large area where Lophii usually resides. The light travels up for as far as I can see, like a giant pillar the color of the sky on a starless night.

“Let’s get out of here!” I yell above the noise, knowing that whatever’s about to happen won’t be good and not being close to it would probably be best.

“Meet at the cabin!” Matska shouts as everyone sprints away from the pit.


	61. Chapter 61

Carmilla’s POV

Everyone splits up into smaller groups: LaFontaine and JP, Mattie and Perry, Kirsch and Danny, and Laura and me. She’s clutching my hand as hard as I’m clutching hers as we sprint away from the crater and towards my cabin. The ground beneath our feet quakes like it’s about to collapse, motivating us to use our vampire speed. We’re the first to arrive, out of breath and panting. 

I hold the door for Laura, knowing that even in this stressful time it’ll make her smile. She lets out an “aww” and thanks me, pressing a kiss to my cheek as I slip inside after her.   
Papa Hollis stands from where he was slumped on a chair. He makes his way over to us surprisingly fast, considering he’s human.

He wraps Laura in a hug, extending his arm so I can join. I do, and he squeezes us both tighter for a moment before stepping back. “Hey, sweetheart. Carmilla. Are you both okay?”

My mouth drops open slightly, surprised he’s worried about me too. I know I’m his daughter’s girlfriend (I’ll never get tired of thinking that), but I guess he has his daughter’s kindness. 

Laura glances over at me, looking me up and down worriedly until I squeeze her hand. 

“Yeah, we’re fine.” I reassure him.

“Good.” He breathes out a sigh of relief. “And Perry and the others?”

“We’ll explain everything when everyone gets here, Dad. They should get here soon.”

Papa Hollis looks from me to her, still concerned. He takes in our mostly calm expressions and nods. “Alright, and don’t spare any details. I want to know exactly what happened, please.”

LaF and JP walk in, shaking off what looks like… snow? How is there snow? We’re not that close to the mountains and it’s much too warm outside.

“Is it snowing out there?” Papa Hollis asks, sounding as dumbfounded as I feel.

“I have no idea what it is.” LaF murmurs, picking some from JP’s hair and staring at it intensely.

They immediately move over to the desk, where my laptop and their science equipment are. They take their microscope and immediately start fiddling with it.

“Hello, Mr. Hollis.” JP says after he takes off his shoes. “It’s nice to meet you in person.”

“Nice to meet you too, kid.” He grins, reaching out his hand for JP to shake. He does so hesitantly, I guess he still isn’t used to human contact.

“He’s technically older than you.” LaFontaine remarks from where they’re intensely studying whatever fell from the sky.

“Oh, I know. I did watch Laura’s videos.” Papa Hollis reminds us. 

Before anyone else can say anything else, the door opens again and the rest of the group comes in. 

“Bros, it’s snowing.” Kirsch sounds awed. 

“That’s not snow, puppy brain.” Mattie sighs, waltzing in and sitting on the most comfortable chair. We all look expectantly at her and she sighs again. “If it were snow, it would be cold and melt.” She mutters insults in her native tongue and I have to stop myself from laughing at some of them.

“What is it then?” Laura wonders aloud, picking some from Perry’s shirt and studying it.

“I’m not sure,” LaF tells us, leaning back in the chair. “It looks like the cells from a dead organism, but it’s a compound I’ve never seen before.”

“It’s from Lophiiformes and the Dean.” Perry says, making all of us look at her. “From what I understand, they were vaporized by that black light and that’s what’s left of them, falling from the sky.”

I feel the second most dangerous feeling in my chest, hope. Could she really be dead? Could her reign of terror really be over? Could I really be free? I move closer to Laura and she smiles gently at me, knowing that I don’t want to talk about it right now. Could I really be free… and finally have the chance to be with Laura and not fear the wrath of Mother? 

“Are they really gone?” Danny sounds doubtful, like she thinks like I do and we can’t get rid of them so easily.

“They’re really gone.” JP confirms.

We all turn to him, and I’m surprised that he’s on my laptop (I never told him the password). He points wordlessly to the screen, where there’s a news station reporting on Silas. From the video, it looks like they’re in a helicopter. He turns up the sound. 

“… We’re coming to you live from what used to be Silas University. Our sources have confirmed that there has been a pit since as early as last semester when most students and staff evacuated. There was a mandatory evacuation of everyone just a few days ago. I’m getting word that there used to be a… Carl, are you joking at a time like this? This is the news, and- oh. Apologies, it seems that there used to be a giant fish in the crater. It doesn’t seem to be there now. There are a few rescue helicopters here that are searching for anyone that might have been hurt, but so far they haven’t found anyone.”

“Thank you, Jill.” It cuts to some newsroom. “We’ll continue to update you on this breaking news when we receive more information. Now for the weather with Frank. Frank?”

“Yes, there seems to be white falling from the sky, but I can assure you-”

JP turns it off. “It’s over.”

“What are we supposed to do now?” LaFontaine asks.

That is the biggest question in my mind, too. I’ve never lived without having someone constantly watching me. To have the freedom to do whatever I want… I just want to be with Laura. That’s more than enough for me. I squeeze her hand, looking at her with what I know are “heart eyes” as LaF puts it. 

“We can do whatever we want.” Laura says, grinning at me. “We could travel.”

Kirsch whoops. “Road trip! Bro, that sounds awesome!”

“I don’t think she meant with us.” Danny punches his arm.

“We could take the next year off and travel.” I announce, liking the idea. “We could all use a vacation after all that.”

“Dude, does that mean we’re invited?” Kirsch really does remind me of an excitable puppy with the way he’s bouncing up and down on the heels of his feet.

“Yes, it does. After that… like the cupcake said, whatever the hell we want.”

The others start eagerly discussing where we could go and what we could do (Mattie can pretend not to be interested but I know she won’t put up much of a fight). 

Laura turns to me, amusement sparkling in her eyes. “Are you ever going to stop with the nicknames?”

“Never, buttercup. You can’t deny that you love them.” I say playfully, smirking slightly.

“I can’t deny I love you.” Laura retorts, making me suck in a breath. I’ll never grow tired of hearing her say that.

I give her a quick kiss, a genuine smile spreading across my lips and preventing us from kissing longer. “I love you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a cutesy fluffy ending! Props to anyone who catches the 100 reference! This is the last chapter... Wow. This is so much longer than my usual chapters (this took me two hours to do). Thank you for all your support and kudos, it's been a fun ride! :D Thanks for everything and stay awesome!


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